Chough Reintroduction Project

Founded: 2023

Organisation Type: Reintroduction Project

Location: Kent, UK

Mission Statement:

The Chough Reintroduction Project is a collaborative effort among Kent Wildlife Trust, Wildwood Trust, and Paradise Park in Cornwall, dedicated to restoring the red-billed chough to its historic habitats in Kent. Through extensive chalk grassland restoration and a focused breed-and-release program, they aim to reestablish a self-sustaining chough population, thereby enhancing biodiversity and reconnecting communities with this culturally significant species.

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Chough Reintroduction Project

The focus area for the Chough Reintroduction Project is Kent's coastline and chalk grasslands, particularly areas within nature reserves and managed conservation sites. These habitats are being restored to provide the ideal mix of nesting sites and short grasslands where choughs can forage for insects, seeds, and other food.

This work aims to reintroduce the chough to its former range, bringing this charismatic bird back to Kent's coastal cliffs and open landscapes after a 200-year absence. The effort also seeks to enhance biodiversity and restore these ecosystems to better support other wildlife.

What are Chough Reintroduction Project currently working on?

Monitoring Released Choughs: The team is tracking the behaviour, health, and movements of the released birds, gathering crucial data on how they are adapting to their new environment. This includes using GPS tagging and field observations.

Habitat Enhancement: Work continues to restore and manage Kent’s chalk grasslands and coastal habitats, ensuring they remain suitable for the choughs to forage, nest, and thrive.

Breeding Programmes: Breeding efforts at facilities like Wildwood Trust and Paradise Park are ongoing to ensure a steady supply of healthy choughs for future releases. This is vital for maintaining genetic diversity in the reintroduced population.

Public Engagement and Education: The project actively raises awareness about the chough and its significance, engaging local communities and visitors through events, educational programmes, and updates.

Collaborative Conservation: The partnership between Kent Wildlife Trust, Wildwood Trust, and Paradise Park continues to strengthen, with a shared focus on creating a sustainable, self-sufficient chough population in Kent.

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What are some Chough Reintroduction Project Statistics and Achievements?

Successful Releases: As of September 2024, a total of nineteen red-billed choughs have been released into the wild in Kent.

Historic Breeding Milestone: In the summer of 2024, choughs bred in Kent for the first time in over 200 years. A pair from the initial release nested at Dover Castle and successfully reared a chick, marking a significant achievement in the project's early stages.

Habitat Restoration: The project builds upon 40 years of chalk grassland restoration in Kent, creating suitable habitats for the choughs and supporting overall biodiversity.

Who Founded Chough Reintroduction Project?

The Chough Reintroduction Project was founded through a collaboration between the Kent Wildlife Trust, Wildwood Trust, and Paradise Park.

These organisations bring together expertise in habitat restoration, species conservation, and breeding programmes.

The project builds on Kent Wildlife Trust’s decades of work restoring chalk grasslands, Wildwood Trust’s experience in captive breeding and reintroduction, and Paradise Park’s renowned avian breeding programme, making it a true partnership effort in conservation and rewilding.