YORKSHIRE Wildlife Trust is one of 46 to have mounted a campaign to save the threatened barn owl.

A century ago, the magnificent birds were a common sight, but a loss of feeding habitat and nesting sites has caused a long-term decline.

This has been accelerated by the severe winter weather of the past few years.

Dr Rob Stoneman, chief executive at Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, said: “Many farmers and landowners should be applauded for doing their bit to help protect barn owls and other wildlife as this is making a difference. Nevertheless, 97 per cent of lowland grasslands have been lost in the past 60 years, so there is still much more to do.”

The trusts want to see them better protected, with farmers and landowners better supported and rewarded for managing wildlife-rich grasslands, and more grassland habitats restored across the UK.

They say that, apart from supporting barn owls, they are also vital resources for bees and other pollinators on which food production relies. Grasslands also secure soils, enabling landscapes to hold and filter water, which helps prevent flooding and pollution.

Stephen Trotter, the wildlife trusts’ director for England, said: “The Government is currently making decisions on how it will implement the greening measures of the Common Agricultural Policy and how it will target grants to farmers in the future.

“We are calling on ministers to take full account of the value of our remaining wildlife-rich grasslands and the threats they face as they make these decisions.”

The trusts are calling for a full review of existing protection for environmentally important grasslands and have launched an online petition at wildlifetrusts.org/dontfadeaway. Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s campaign to save barn owls is at ywt.org.uk.