Some of the rarest birds on Britain’s wild uplands are under threat from predators like foxes and crows, according to one of the longest scientific surveys ever undertaken into avian problems.

The results of the nine-year survey, released today show that if upland managers controlled such predators, the breeding success of the curlew, lapwing and golden plover – all threatened species – could be increased a staggering three-fold.

Results of the survey, the Upland Predation Experiment, are published in the Journal of Applied Ecology and backed by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust.

For nine years, the trust’s scientists have looked into the effects of predator control on the breeding success of threatened moorland wading birds. The Upland Predation Experiment, which was undertaken on moorland in Northern England, is one of the longest running studies of its kind ever undertaken.

The research shows for the first time that the control of common predators such as crows and foxes significantly improves, by more than three times, the breeding success of curlew, lapwing and golden plover – all species of conservation concern. The results have important implications for the future of bird conservation in the uplands.

Dr Stephen Tapper, Head of Policy and Public Affairs with the Trust, explains, “If we want to reverse the decline in some bird populations we need to do more than simply improve countryside habitats. Agri-environment schemes on their own, without predator control, seem unable to give rise to an abundance of breeding waders or even bring about a significant improvement in sparse populations.”

These findings have an important impact in areas like the Yorkshire Dales, where shooting makes an important contribution to the local economy in remote areas where jobs are scarce.

Foxes and crows also attack the nests – and young – of ground nesting game birds like grouse, pheasants and partridge but large scale controls are often controversial: fox hunting is of course banned and various charities like the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds take a very sniffy attitude to the shooting of crows and magpies.