THIS year is a landmark year for wild grey partridges which have suffered a massive population decline of 86 per cent over the past 25 years.

But wildlife conservation charity the Game Conservancy Trust is confident it will mark the turning point for this threatened bird.

The recovery process for the grey partridge has been a long journey.

Facing extinction in Britain in 1995, the government gave the species priority under the UK's Biodiversity Plan process, choosing The Game Conservancy Trust as lead partners.

The aims are to halt the decline of the partridge and to build the population to above 150,000 pairs by 2010.

The Trust is spearheading a major campaign to encourage land managers to create suitable conditions for grey partridge, including providing the right habitat to nest sites and cover, summer and winter feeding areas and the control of predators. It is also running an important national Grey Partridge Count Scheme.

In Gloucestershire, which is prime partridge territory, the Trust is urging more people to join the counting scheme to help identify when the county target figure of 3,348 pairs by 2005 has been reached.

"A further boost for grey partridges this year will be the introduction of the government's new environmental stewardship farming scheme which will pay landowners to implement wildlife-friendly practices," said Trust spokesman Louise Shervington.

"Many of the ideas in the entry level scheme have been developed by the Trust to encourage wildlife."

For a free grey partridge conservation guide, advice on restoring grey partridges or to join the Trust's Grey Partridge Count Scheme, call the Trust on 01426 652381. Information call also be downloaded from the Trust's website at www.gct.org.uk.