Techniques to help wildlife

A wealth of useful techniques to help wildlife on your farmland. From managing gorse and rushes, to working with arable crops.

In this section

Arable crops on livestock farms

One of the major agricultural changes that has affected farmland birds in Britain has been the loss of mixed farming.

RSPB's Hope farm, at the time of the wheat harvest, Knapwell, Cambridgeshire, England

Arable reversion

Arable land can be reverted to grassland to increase the variety of habitat in predominantly arable areas.

First year arable reversion at Manor Farm, Winterbourne Downs RSPB reserve

Managing gorse

Gorse scrub occurs wherever soils are light and free draining, in areas that are relatively free from severe frosts.

Minsmere RSPB Reserve, view across Minsmere from Dunwich

Moorland gripping

Moorland gripping is the practice of digging ditches to drain wet areas of heath and blanket bog.

Round-leaved sundew Drosera rotundifolia

Re-wetting grassland

The aim is to combine water control and appropriate land management to produce the desired wetland habitat.

A winding section of the Savoch burn, Loch of Strathbeg RSPB reserve

Rodenticide use

Rat populations need to be controlled in a variety of situations in both urban and rural areas.

Barn owl Tyto alba, perched on fence post, Norfolk

Rush management

Damp grassland on farmland is a very important breeding habitat for lapwings, curlews, redshanks, snipe and reed bunting

Fannyside RSPB reserve, near Cumbernauld