Lapwing

2025 target

> 1,000 pairs of breeding lapwing populations.

Status

Between 1995 and 2012, breeding lapwing declined by 47% in South East England. They have been lost from much of the wider countryside due to changes in agriculture, but populations on wet grassland have increased over this time due to habitat creation and enhancement, particularly on the North Kent Marshes. The estimated population of breeding lapwing in Kent in 2013 was 980 to 1,200 pairs.

Rationale

Breeding lapwing are a good proxy for wet grassland management. There are approximately 800 pairs of breeding lapwing in North Kent, and this area should be the focus for landscape-scale conservation management, involving improvements to hydrological management and grazing management. The target of 1,000 pairs by 2025 would be delivered by more farms entering agri-environment schemes and more habitat enhancement and creation projects.