A NEW initiative has been launched to help secure the future of one of England’s most iconic and threatened species, the Eurasian curlew.

The Curlew Recovery Partnership brings together all those with an interest in curlew conservation, including land managers, farmers, gamekeepers, policymakers and researchers.

Tom Orde-Powlett of the Bolton Castle Estate in North Yorkshire represents one of nine organisations on the steering group's committee, which also includes the RSPB, the British Trust for Ornithology and Curlew Action.

Mr Orde-Powlett and his team at Bolton Castle have been involved in curlew preservation for several years and normally has around 200 pairs of breeding curlews on the estate.

The new partnership will provide co-ordination and support to those engaged in curlew conservation nationally, while also providing benefits for other threatened species and habitats.

It is the outcome of Curlew Recovery Summits hosted by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales on Dartmoor in March 2018 and again at Highgrove in February 2020.

The Partnership has recently appointed Mary Colwell as Chair and Prof Russell Wynn as .anager.

Ms Colwell said: "The Curlew Recovery Partnership is determined to work together to find solutions to reverse its decline and to help transform our relationship with nature. It is an honour to be part of this initiative.”