GWCT receives grant of £123,700 from the government’s Green Recovery Challenge Fund

Lots of happy organisations announcing funding from the government's Green Recovery Challenge Fund

GWCT receives grant of £123,700 from the government’s Green Recovery Challenge Fund - Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust

68 projects have been awarded grants between £62k and £3.8 million to kick-start a pipeline of nature-based projects while creating and retaining jobs
First funding round sees £40 million pot allocated, second round of funding to open in early 2021

The Owl Box Initiative from the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) is one of the first environmental projects awarded a grant from the government’s £80 million Green Recovery Challenge Fund.

Through The Owl Box Initiative GWCT conservation scientists will work with 100 farms over 40,000ha to inspire farmers and communities to work for the conservation of the iconic barn owl. As a top predator, the barn owl provides an indication of ecosystem health, and conservation measures that benefit owls improve wider farmland biodiversity. By engaging farmers, their families and wider communities in working for the barn owl, the project aims to connect people with farmland wildlife and promote a better understanding of wildlife friendly farming measures.

The Green Recovery Challenge Fund grant will allow the GWCT to build on existing work with farmer groups and expand to new sites across Hampshire, Wiltshire and Dorset, despite the financial pressure on the charity caused by the Covid-19 crisis. 64 barn owl nest boxes will be installed and monitored during the breeding season, with feedback provided to farmers. Adult barn owls will be GPS-tracked to better understand their use of arable habitats for foraging and enable farmers to see the effects of their conservation efforts. During the project a barn owl brood will be live streamed to the GWCT website, engaging the wider public with the conservation effort. The scientists and farmers will work with local conservationists and bird-ringers, helping to build better relationships between volunteer groups and farmers.