Adam Smith, Director of Policy, Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust in Scotland, comments on the Scottish Government’s announcement on its Review of Grouse Moor Management:“The Scottish Government’s announcement today on its Review of Grouse Moor Management shows that it has chosen to constrain land management rather than support it with practical options. That is despite the advice of that review concluding that the disadvantages of licensing far outweighed the advantages, and it’s easy to see why the independent review group was so cautious about licensing. They recommended that licensing be held in reserve and implemented in five years’ time only if other reasonable conservation management options were not acted on.
Further information and an explanation can be found in this blog
By Andrew Gilruth, GWCT Director of Communications: Grouse moor licensing – Scotland abandons its own findings
When it came to finding solutions to wildlife conflict, Scotland has been a world leader – until now. It was home to the most ambitious large-scale moorland raptor trials in the world. However, lessons learnt have not been developed and Scotland now plans to license grouse moors in the hope that this will somehow end the conflict between raptors and grouse shooting.
In doing so it has bypassed both the recommendations of the expert group it commissioned to investigate licensing, and the 20 years of trials on Langholm Moor – which it helped fund. Suggestions that there will be further constraints on muirburn also fly in the face of the available evidence.
More on:
Posted On: 27/11/2020