4/10/2018

Moor burning on upland peat bogs: Our response to the RSPB

The RSPB press office appear to have forgotten that 75% of the world’s heather moorland is found in the UK because grouse moor managers have been fighting to save it - since before the RSPB existed. In 1880 the first moor owner took a city corporation to court for draining peatland to provide drinking water. In this century moor owners have refused subsidy, or tax incentives, from successive governments, which encouraged them to drain their peatlands and carpet them in trees or sheep.

GWCT research showed that between the 1940s and 1980s grouse shooting was the main reason we kept our open moorland. There is also a wider, shared social responsibility that rarely gets aired: pollution from urban areas has significantly damaged the growth of the rare plants protecting the surface of our peatlands for over 100 years.  

The main body of people that began large scale efforts to combat this degradation were moor owners. It is bizarre that the RSPB now seek to criticise them through the highly selective use of both science and history. Conservationists are still learning how complex these peatland systems are and moor owners are helping evolve best practice.

Andrew Gilruth

Director of Communications

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Comments

Heather burning

at 14:49 on 09/10/2018 by Alistair Redpath

WBW's comment that RSPB's criticism is "hardly worth bothering about" is way off the mark as they have a powerful and vocal following and the ear of many in Government, especially in the devolved administrations. Just look at the recent decision in Wales. The minority SNP leadership see shooting in general, and grouse shooting in particular, as elitist and would listen to any opinions which reinforce their views regardless of the factual basis. Shooting interests need to be equally vocal but evidence-based to stand any chance of countering RSPB, Packham, Monbiot and crew and protecting the diversity of our uplands.

Heather burning

at 13:02 on 09/10/2018 by WBW

It is widely accepted that heather burning when carried out correctly , provides a rich and varied habitat for many upland species . Estate owners and their keepers have been the guardians of the countryside for many generations . The RSPB doesn't manage land . They merely allow it do its own thing . Cutting the odd tree off midway up to allow birds of prey to perch ....putting fox nets over the entrance hole to an earth to inhibit the access and egress of a fox is not vermin control . Infact in Spey side , they rely on the help of us local keepers to bolt foxes from earth's on their land as they will not allow any of their own staff to do so . That isn't something that many members will be aware of. In short ...more nonsense from the bird of prey charity is hardly worth bothering about .

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