Grouse moors and gamekeepers - SRUC
Moorland management in Scotland has come under the spotlight in a series of reports assessing socioeconomic and biodiversity impacts of driven grouse moors and the employment rights of gamekeepers.
The research, led by SRUC, was commissioned by the Scottish Government to address questions about the impacts of grouse shooting – including concerns about large-scale culls of mountain hares, the burning of heath or stubble (muirburn) and the persecution of raptors.
Researchers from SEFARI (Scottish Environment, Food and Agriculture Research Institutes) at SRUC and the James Hutton Institute looked at the financial and employment impacts from a range of different moorland management activities; the employment rights and attitudes of gamekeepers; the extent and intensity of moorland management; and biodiversity impacts from grouse moor management.
Divided into four reports, the research – which addresses gaps identified by work carried out in Phase 1 research conducted on driven grouse moors – has highlighted the complexities involved in assessing the impacts of grouse moor management, with grouse shooting often embedded in, or underpinned by, wider estate activities, some of which occur on the same moorland that grouse shooting takes place.
Project lead Steven Thomson, Agricultural Economist at SRUC and SEFARI Gateway Sector Lead for Communities, said: ”This significant body of evidence provides some new insights into the socio-economic impacts of different models of moorland management, including driven grouse, and helps us better identify the area of moorland used for driven grouse, levels of management intensity and also how management may impact on some less studied flora and fauna related to moorlands. The research has also provided a unique insight into the gamekeeping profession including their terms and conditions of employment.”
Read the report here.
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Posted On: 04/11/2020