Grouse moors
are wildlife havens
Conor O'Gorman
Conor O’Gorman summarises the start of the grouse season, including the some of the anti-shooting campaigns wielded by those who deem themselves protectors of wildlife.
Last summer was a fantastic conservation success story for hen harriers on grouse moors, with the population in England at its highest for 100 years. This was a very real example of a human/wildlife conflict being resolved on the ground with the support of landowners, shooting tenants, farmers, foresters and government conservation agencies.
You would think this good news would be welcomed by the conservation charities, but there seems to be a culture of silence when it comes to anything positive about grouse moor management. Unfortunately, many are stuck in the past, following an outdated narrative of attacking and undermining grouse moor management regardless of conservation successes and the latest science.
Take for example the following tweet by ITV presenter and RSPB president, Dr Amir Khan.
A rather disappointing reaction by the RSPB’s president to peer reviewed research carried out by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) which found that breeding curlews are raising four-times as many chicks on the UK’s grouse moors, compared to similar unmanaged moorland sites.
The Countryside Alliance and The Spectator have challenged Dr Khan’s stance and the GWCT are, rather charitably, contacting Dr Khan and making an offer to show him just what a well-managed grouse moor offers for our red-listed waders.
The usual culprits
Rather less surprising are the regular online attacks by BBC presenters Chris Packham and Megan McCubbin using their large fan bases on social media – thanks to their work for the BBC – to whip up hate against grouse moor managers and those participating in grouse shooting.
Chris Packham, RSPB vice-president, has dismissed as ‘hysterical’ the publication of a new report on a review of the evidence of the economic, environmental and social sustainability of driven grouse shooting in a tweet to his followers.
Megan McCubbin, RSPB ambassador, marked the start of the grouse season by calling on her Twitter followers to retweet her misinformed assertions of grouse moors being a “scorched landscape” and a “void of balanced biodiversity”.
Perhaps these television presenters and RSPB representatives should stick to what they are paid and appointed to do; inspiring people to connect with nature and following RSPB governance rules.
Last weekend ‘journalist’ Rod Liddle had his annual rant on grouse shooting in the Sunday Times, describing grouse moors as “a depopulated and scorched, treeless moonscape, the very antithesis of nature”, with “million upon million of rabbits, hopping about in the blackened heather as if they were in a post-nuclear-holocaust Teletubbies set”.
Mr Liddle has either never set foot on a managed grouse moor, or is deliberately misinforming The Times readership. We have written in response to the article challenging his narrative and inviting him to join BASC next spring to listen to the moorland dawn chorus and find out for himself why our grouse moors are safe havens for some of the UK’s most threatened species.
Campaigns of the privileged few
Unfortunately, these campaigns by the privileged few – people that do not reside in the upland rural communities that they attack – can influence the narrative about grouse shooting.
United Utilities and Scottish Water recently announced plans to cease grouse shooting on their land holdings and BASC is now working with both companies to ensure an informed decision-making process for people and nature in the areas impacted.
It may be an uncanny coincidence, but United Utilities’ new chief executive Louise Beardmore made her announcement at their 2023 AGM amidst protests outside the meeting about the levels of sewage being dumped in rivers, lakes and seas. Meanwhile, Scottish Water issued its statement about stopping new grouse shooting leases as criticism circled over new chief executive Alex Plant’s annual salary breaching Scottish Government pay policy.
These apparent rather cynical ruses may have worked because the grouse moor haters took the bait and have been falling over themselves to congratulate the water companies for ‘banning grouse shooting’, while overlooking the real issues in plain sight.
The truth is that grouse moors are wildlife havens whilst also protecting communities from risk of flooding and controlled burning on the moors locks in carbon and reduces wildfires yet the haters claim the opposite, in denial of the science.
What you can do to help
While the shooting organisations battle on, it also needs the whole shooting community to fight our corner and be advocates for the countryside. It is important that we all make our voice heard. We can truly each make a difference here.
If you use social media please challenge any ill-informed views you see; this could be as simple as sharing this article on your social media accounts for family and friends to read. If you do want to challenge the protagonists, directly please be diplomatic while exposing their fiction with the facts.
If you are a RSPB member, please make a complaint about the uncharitable behaviour of its representatives. You can also complain to ITV and BBC.
If you manage a shoot, whether grouse or other quarry species please invite your MP and local councillors to visit the shoot and witness the wildlife haven you provide. There is no greater argument against the antis’ false narrative than first-hand witness of the truth.
Meanwhile, BASC will continue to work hard to ensure that sustainable grouse moor management and its wide-reaching benefits for people and nature are protected and supported for future generations to enjoy.
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