ONE of the largest farmer-led wildlife monitoring schemes in Europe has recorded a 15 per cent increase in wild grey partridge pairs between 2004 and 2005 and a 40 per cent increase since 2000.

The native grey partridge is one of Britain's bird species that has declined the most over the last 50 years. But Dr Nicholas Aebischer, deputy director of research with The Game Conservancy Trust, is confident the growing number of people interested in working with the trust to save the partridge means that the situation can only get better.

He said: "These figures will give participants of the Trust's National Grey Partridge Count Scheme a huge boost. We have more than 1,000 people across the country taking part in the scheme and they are doing a wonderful job managing their land specially for grey partridges.

"We now need more people to join the scheme to ensure that this encouraging uplift ripples across all of the grey partridge's former range."

A factor which will help boost partridge recovery is the introduction of the Entry Level Schemes where farmers are paid to manage their land in an environmentally sensitive way and the grey partridge is one of the key species likely to benefit in future years.

Farmers are being encouraged to help save the grey partridge by joining The Game Conservancy Trust's Partridge Count Scheme.

The scheme is free and involves just a few hours a year to count partridges on the land. In return, the trust offers extensive advice on habitat and other management techniques and disseminated practical information through regional grey partridge groups.

For information please visit the Trust's website www.gct.org.uk/partridge or call 01425 651066.