UK farmers’ habitat work lifts corn buntings 346% and butterflies 183%

Between 1967 and 2025, the UK corn bunting population dropped by 83%, but within the past decade, the bird numbers around Martin Down, straddling Hampshire and Dorset, surged by 346%. The endangered species is not the sole beneficiary, as grey partridges, butterflies and other wildlife have also seen notable population increases within the Martin Down Farmer Cluster. This cluster, managed by participating farmers and estates, spans more than 13,500 hectares, roughly equivalent in size to Paris.

The cluster's success hinges on farmers collaborating and establishing flower margins, water scrapes and other connected habitats across their land. Two clusters – Allenford and Martin Down – in southern England were monitored over ten years by the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT). The clusters, together managing over 13,500 hectares, have witnessed substantial improvements in various farmland species, including a 271% increase in grey partridge breeding pairs and a 183% rise in butterfly abundance.

GWCT Senior Farm Environment Adviser, Megan Lock, emphasizes the importance of the Farmer Cluster model in achieving biodiversity recovery on a national scale. She notes that the model combines sustainable agriculture with species recovery, which is critical as land designated for nature reserves only covers 8% of the UK. Lock stresses the necessity of public funding for monitoring to ascertain the effectiveness of conservation measures and to help the government meet its legally binding nature recovery targets.