A teenage gamekeeper from Hundred House says better connectivity is needed to help Welsh Moorlands flourish.

Huw Lavin, 19, says more joined up management of the Welsh moors creating a continuous landscape to restore habitats is the challenge of recovering bird species.

With limited opportunity to get a career from working on a grouse moor in Wales, – a rare find - Huw never wanted to do anything other than be outside protecting the range of upland birds now under threat on Welsh moorlands.

After two years at Newton Rigg College he landed a full-time job as a keeper on a grouse moor in Wales, which is part of the Welsh Government-funded Powys Moorland Partnership.

“The main problem in Wales is that grouse has almost completely disappeared from most of the heather moorlands over the past 30 years as grouse shooting declined,” Huw said.

“If we really want to see them recover along with other ground nesting birds there is still time, just, but many more people are needed on the ground to manage the habitats as many are in poor condition.”

He believes that in just three years, despite the weather not being conducive over the past two years to increasing the grouse population, the number overall has flourished once the management to restore the habitats and keep predators under control was implemented.

Huw has hosted several groups of children from Hay and Clyro Primary School to explain his work.

“We have to keep engaging with the public and find different ways of helping people understand the complexities of moorland management especially as Welsh Government is encouraging more people to get outside and connect with nature.

“It’s a special place to work and moorlands are magical so it’s right that more people should experience it, but respecting each other is going to be the biggest challenge.”

Huw has now moved to a well-established grouse moor in the Angus Glens of Scotland as a grouse keeper where he will be one of 11 keepers.