LANDOWNERS have been urged to save the wild grey partridge, whose numbers have plummeted by 86pc over the past 25 years.

The Game Conservancy Trust is confident that this year, when it spearheads a drive to halt that decline, will be a turning point for the species.

In 1995 the bird was heading for extinction and the Government gave it priority under its Biodiversity Action Plan. The trust was asked to lead moves this year to halt the bird's decline and raise the population above 150,000 pairs by 2010.

The trust is urging land managers to provide the right habitat for nest sites and cover; summer and winter feeding areas, and the control of predators.

It also runs a national grey partridge count scheme which tracks numbers and breeding successes in each region.

Each county has been allocated a special species recovery plan. In Durham North Yorkshire, Redcar and Cleveland, all prime partridge territories, the trust is urging more farmers or landowners to join the count scheme.

It will identify when CountyDurham's Biodiversity Action Plan target of 1,580 pairs this year has been reached. In North Yorkshire the target is 11,120 pairs and in Redcar & Cleveland 230 pairs.

The trust has also produced a conservation guide highlighting the measures necessary to help restore the species.

Grey partridges are already showing signs of recovery in many areas, through the efforts of those keen to conserve the ground-nesting game bird.

On farmland in Hertfordshire, where the trust manages a 1,000ha demonstration site specifically for the grey partridge, numbers have increased from 7.6 birds per 100h a in 2001 to 53.4 in 2004.

A further boost for the species this year will be the introduction of the Government's new Environmental Stewardship farming scheme, which will pay landowners to implement wildlife-friendly practices. Many of the ideas in the Entry Level Scheme have been developed by the trust and will be a huge boost for threatened species, particularly grey partridge.

Unfortunately vast swathes of the British countryside no longer contain the species and the trust is studying the best ways of restoring it, including fostering young chicks to wild pairs whose own breeding attempt was unsuccessful. Early results look promising and it is hoped that comprehensive advice on reintroduction techniques will be available shortly.

Free advice and guides on the grey partridge and the count scheme are available from the trust on 01425 652381 or on www.gct.org.uk.