Woman to fly 4,500 miles on motorised parachute to save rare Bewick's swan

Numbers of Bewick's swans have halved in the last two decades

Sacha Dench will undertake her journey using a paramotor (Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust )

A British conservationist will undertake a perilous 4,500 mile journey in the first ever attempt to follow the annual migration route of the UK’s smallest swan.

Using just a paramotor - a parachute strapped to a small propeller engine - and braving temperatures of -9C, Sacha Dench will mirror the Bewick’s swan’s route from the Russian Arctic to Britain as they migrate to milder climates from the hostile Russian winter.

Numbers of Bewick's swans have halved in the last two decades and there are now around 16,000 left in the world.

A Bewick's swan swims in the water at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust Getty (Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

It is unclear why the birds' population is in decline, however illegal shooting and climate change have been labelled as concerns.

Next Autumn, Ms Dench, who works for the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) in Gloucestershire and is a former British and Australian free-diving champion, will take to the skies in an attempt to uncover new science about the species and call on governments along the route to adopt policies to try and reverse the decline.

Sacha Dench will mirror the Bewick’s swan’s yearly route from northern Russia Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust)

Making films and broadcasts along the way, Ms Dench’s journey will take her across the Russian tundra – one of the most remote places on earth. Over 10 weeks she will cross 11 countries and in the process become the first woman to paramotor across the Channel and fly along the River Thames.

“As we develop the expedition, we’re exploring new research opportunities, from doing an aerial survey of the swans’ breeding grounds to documenting the turbulence from a wind turbine," said Ms Dench.

“The idea formed as I realised that many of my paramotoring contacts in Europe were also farmers and hunters – two groups that are crucial to the swans’ survival. This adventure seemed the perfect way to spark the interest of people on the ground.

“This expedition is very close to my heart. It’s a chance to learn more about Bewick’s swans and why they’re declining. But just as important, it’s a chance to bring people from very different cultures together because the swans’ fate rests in our hands."

WWT have studied Bewick’s swans for over 50 years and its staff have helped to write an international action plan to reverse the current decline of the birds in Europe.