Environmental Improvement
Plan needs shooting
Ian Danby
Ian Danby discusses the newly announced Environmental Improvement Plan and how the importance of sustainable shooting to its delivery is writ-large throughout the report.
It will come as little surprise that sustainable shooting activities deliver across many of the ten key goals that the government has recently announced in its Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP).
Building on the 25 year environment plan, the EIP sets out in detail how England will meet its global commitments on climate change and biodiversity. Detailing how it will work with landowners, communities and businesses to deliver each of our goals for improving the environment, the EIP matches these elements with interim targets to measure progress.
If you read the report, you’ll see correlations throughout between the output of sustainable shooting and game management, and the delivery of these goals.
Wonderful woodland
Take for example one of our key habitats – woodland. Peer reviewed studies show that woodlands curated for shooting can deliver better environmental outcomes for the woodland itself, as well as the wildlife that rely on it.
Woods managed by shoots tend to be larger with increased levels of coppicing and ride cutting. Butterflies have been recorded as more diverse and abundant on woodland edges managed for game (Goal 1 – Thriving plants and wildlife), with problem species such as deer and grey squirrel often well controlled.
Shooting is also a driver for woodland planting and, critically, acts in the long-term to ensure those vulnerable newly-planted trees thrive and develop into a nature rich woodland that stores carbon (Goal 7 – Mitigating and adapting to climate change).
To put some meat on the bones, a study* undertaken in the 1990s of over 300 farms in England reported that 61% of farms that released pheasants had planted woodland in the last ten years, compared with just 21% for those that did not release pheasants.
The 2018-19 Savills Shoot benchmark survey revealed that 86% of shoots have managed a ten-year average of 308 acres of woodland each. These numbers show the very real influence of shooting on the extent and condition of woodland habitats.
Shooting is not a flash in the pan, we have a long-term commitment to see a quality environment that supports quarry species and wider wildlife (Goal 6 – Using resources from nature sustainably).
It’s important not overlook that there are legally binding targets with this EIP. These include increasing tree and woodland cover to 16.5 per cent of total land area in England by 2050 to boost nature recovery and climate change mitigation. The government is under pressure to perform.
Before we even get on to whether the target is attainable, they need to set conditions where landowners and managers are enabled to forward and continue delivering.
Species specific focus
It has to be said that the government is starting to better at addressing long-standing issues. It is superb to see additional resources available and effort put into managing problem species in the EIP and related policy areas (read here about how ELMS has a growing focus on wildlife management).
The plan has a section on managing woodlands for biodiversity, climate and sustainable forestry. It also highlights the importance of deer and grey squirrel management under the national deer management strategy and grey squirrel action plan.
Part of the funding for this will be provided through the Environmental Land Management schemes (ELMs) which are replacing our old CAP-directed agri-environment schemes (read more on this here).
The plan also commits to a new Species Survival Fund, picking out key species such as the hazel dormouse and red squirrels. Both are woodland dwellers and both benefit from woodland managed for shooting. For red squirrels that includes the control of grey squirrels (Goal 9 – Enhancing biosecurity).
And let’s not forget, such direct environmental benefits attract hundreds-of-thousands of people to engage with the natural world around them. There are numerous benefits to this, be that for general health and wellbeing, or gathering wild food for themselves and other (Goal 10 – Enhancing the beauty and heritage of the natural environment).
Not just woodland
Woodland is just one habitat critical to the delivery of the government’s Environmental Improvement Plan. Peatlands, wetlands and lowland farming environments are other crucial areas where shooting activities provide a much-needed ally for nature recovery and climate change mitigation.
What matters most is that shooting is currently offering a great deal to the delivery of the EIP and we are well placed to increase that benefit. And we must. We are in a nature and climate emergency.
*Cox, G., Watkins, C., & Winter, M. (1996). Game management in England: Implications for public access, the rural economy and the environment. Arkleton Centre for Rural Development Research. Referred to here.
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