{"id":666213,"date":"2026-01-01T05:41:22","date_gmt":"2026-01-01T05:41:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/666213\/"},"modified":"2026-01-01T05:41:22","modified_gmt":"2026-01-01T05:41:22","slug":"reform-regional-director-for-wales-slammed-for-irresponsible-claims-about-scheme-to-save-endangered-birds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/666213\/","title":{"rendered":"Reform regional director for Wales slammed for ‘irresponsible’ claims about scheme to save endangered birds"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Reform Councillor David Thomas \u2013 Image: David Thomas Facebook<\/p>\n

Emily Price\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Reform UK\u2019s regional director for Wales\u2019 has been urged to visit nest sites of endangered curlew this spring after he made \u201cdamaging\u201d and \u201cirresponsible\u201d claims about a survey aimed at saving the bird from extinction.<\/p>\n

Torfaen Councillor David Thomas told followers on X that the Natural Resources Wales (NRW) 2026 Breeding Wader Survey would be used against farmers \u201cto justify more top-down land-use decisions\u201d.<\/p>\n

The survey is being carried out as part of a wider effort to support Welsh farmers in protecting wildlife.<\/p>\n

It will focus mainly on one of Wales\u2019 most threatened birds \u2013 the curlew \u2013 while also recording breeding lapwing, snipe, golden plover, dunlin and redshank.<\/p>\n

Surveyors will visit selected 1km squares of land \u2013 chosen for their high likelihood of hosting breeding curlew \u2013 between March and early April 2026, spending up to an hour in each.<\/p>\n

If no curlew are found, a second visit will take place on the same area later in April.<\/p>\n

Participation is voluntary and the Welsh Government\u2019s environmental body says the survey won\u2019t create any new rules or designations for farmers.<\/p>\n

Sharing an image of a letter from NRW about the survey online, Reform\u2019s David Thomas blasted the plans and claimed that Wales does not have an environmental crisis.<\/p>\n

He wrote: \u201cNatural Resources Wales want permission to send surveyors onto private land in 2026.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot to help farmers. Not to fix flooding. Not to protect rural livelihoods.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut to gather data that will be used to justify more top-down land-use decisions, restrictions, and tree-planting schemes that ignore the people who actually live and work on the land.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the same playbook every time: survey \u2192 map \u2192 regulate \u2192 restrict \u2192 blame landowners.<\/p>\n

\u201cWales doesn\u2019t have an environmental crisis, it has a Welsh Labour governance crisis.<\/p>\n

\u201cEnough of unelected bodies treating rural Wales like a laboratory. Respect landowners. Respect consent. Respect Wales.\u201d<\/p>\n

Decline<\/strong><\/p>\n

Widespread changes to Wales\u2019 countryside have seen curlew numbers decline dramatically over the last 40 years<\/p>\n

The birds use large upland and lowland landscapes to breed and feed during the spring and summer.<\/p>\n

But changes to modern farming practices, leading to earlier cutting dates for hay and silage, mean that the curlew have less time to allow chicks to fledge.<\/p>\n

The wader\u2019s rapid and ongoing decline means it is now threatened with extinction as a Welsh breeding bird in the next two decades.<\/p>\n

Director of Curlew Action, Mary Colwell, branded the Reform councillor\u2019s comments \u201cwrong-headed and damaging\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u2018Wrong-headed\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

She said: \u201cBreeding waders in Wales have suffered catastrophic declines over the last few decades. Birds such as Curlew have seen populations fall by 80% since the 1990s; it could become extinct as a breeding bird in Wales in a decade.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is therefore imperative that we work together to protect these cherished birds. \u00a0Curlews depend on farmers for their survival, without them their haunting call \u2013 the sound of hiraeth and an inspiration for Welsh poets and writers for generations \u2013 will be lost from the countryside.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can only protect them if we know where the birds are and understand the threats facing them.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe NRW Breeding Wader Surveys are designed to give us a more complete picture of breeding waders on farmland so that conservationists can work with farmers to safeguard this most precious natural heritage of Wales.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is wrong-headed and damaging to suggest there is any other motive than to help the birds and I urge David Thomas to visit curlew nests this spring with Gylfinir Cymru and see the wonderful work being done to keep them singing over our landscapes, he would be most welcome.<\/p>\n

\u201cFarmers are the key to protecting so much wildlife in Wales; cooperation and collaboration towards a shared goal is the only way our children will live in a life-filled Wales, a shining example of a country where both people and nature thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Challenges<\/strong><\/p>\n

A Natural Resources Wales spokesperson said: \u201cThe 2026 Breeding Wader Survey is a critical step in understanding the status of some of Wales\u2019 most threatened bird species, including the curlew, which is predicted to be on the brink of extinction as a viable breeding species within the next decade.<\/p>\n

\u201cWales faces the twin challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss. While woodland creation is vital for tackling the climate emergency, it must be planned carefully to avoid harming species already in decline.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis survey will provide robust evidence on where breeding waders occur, helping us ensure tree planting and other land-use changes are carried out in the right places.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe findings will support joint ambitions to halt species extinction and deliver nature recovery by 2030.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy improving our understanding of wader populations, we can balance climate action with biodiversity protection and secure wider benefits for nature and people.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n the people of Wales.<\/strong>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Reform Councillor David Thomas \u2013 Image: David Thomas Facebook Emily Price\u00a0 Reform UK\u2019s regional director for Wales\u2019 has…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":666214,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5010],"tags":[748,4884,16,15,1764],"class_list":{"0":"post-666213","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wales","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-great-britain","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-wales"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115818246236885814","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/666213","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=666213"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/666213\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/666214"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=666213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=666213"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=666213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}