As Wales species champion for the curlew, I visited Ysbyty Ifan in Snowdonia this summer with the RSPB, the National Trust and the tenant farmer, and heard that, instead of prescription, agri-environment schemes need to pay farmers on outcomes, doing things with them. I also heard that the main reason breeding is failing is nest predation, with the fox and crow the main culprits, which is why curlews, crows and fox trails are being monitored within a trial and control area, prior to the introduction of possible predator control.

The Welsh uplands are in need of conservation attention. Fifty-five per cent of species studied in the state of nature report have been in long-term decline and species abundance is declining. As many as 15 per cent of uplands species are threatened with extinction. Upland habitats are particularly important for breeding curlew, which are now scarce in the lowlands. The curlew is hugely important as a species both culturally and ecologically in Wales. Between 1993 and 2006, there’s been a rapid decline in curlew numbers of 81 per cent in Wales. Without intervention, these trends are likely to continue. The curlew is now listed in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s near-threatened category at global level and vulnerable to extinction at European level. The RSPB has commenced a major programme of recovery for curlew across the UK, with trial areas set up at six sites, including Hiraethog, Migneint and Ysbyty Ifan, the area I visited this summer, and with management intervention commencing, in winter 2015-16 and surveying last summer.

The causes of the decline are: the loss of suitable habitat, changes in upland agriculture within places, and an increase in stock—and conversely in others a reduction—of grazing animals has led to a reduction in habitat quality. Forestry in upland areas has led to a direct loss of habitat and, given the now low numbers, predation is now taking its toll as well. Blanket bogs are one of the most important habitats found in Wales, if not globally. As well as providing homes to rare plants, invertebrates and birds such as the curlew, they provide much of our drinking water, underpin the rural economy, and hold large stores of carbon. However, over the years, blanket bogs in Wales and across the world have suffered at the hand of humankind. In the past, activities such as drainage, burning and the planting of forestry have damaged the bogs. Only in recent years have we come to understand how valuable the habitat is in its intact state.

So, does the Minister join me in recognising that we need to do more to protect this important habitat? It is vital for the future of the curlew that we get the future land-use policy right. With our departure from the EU, we have an opportunity to define our own sustainable land management policy. This policy must address biodiversity decline, but also wider issues of environmental degradation by ensuring delivery of clean water, water storage to prevent flooding, and carbon storage in our peat lands. Does the Minister therefore agree that this must be the direction of future land-use policy in Wales?

The curlew is the largest European wading bird, instantly recognisable on winter estuaries and in its summer breeding grounds by its large size, long down-curved bill, brown upper parts and long legs. Its song is haunting and evocative; for many people, it is the call of wild upland areas. The north Wales moors now support the largest population of breeding curlew in Wales, with birds returning to nest in spring. Curlews breed on open, flat or gently undulating bog, moorland, upland farmland and lowland wet pastures, feeding mainly on a range of invertebrates, including earthworms, leatherjackets, beetles, spiders and caterpillars. Although they’re still relatively widespread in the uplands, breeding pairs are, as stated, now scarce in the lowlands. In 2006, the last estimate considered there to be just over 1,000 pairs of curlew breeding in Wales only.

So, the actions required include support and advice for the owners and managers of land where curlews occur or could be expected, to implement favourable management for curlew as part of their farm business. This could include the reinstatement of previously lost management. An action also required: rigorous monitoring of the effectiveness of the Glastir agri-environment scheme to inform scheme options and wider management, and finally, the importance of trialling comprehensive management solutions to turn around the decline in upland breeding curlews. Thank you.