When it comes to researching the environmental impacts of game shooting, Britain leads the world. This has largely been achieved by those that shoot funding ecological studies, including the hundreds of scientific papers published by the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust.
Contrary to your report (August 22), Natural England’s evidence review did not show that large scale releases of pheasants are detrimental to the environment nor that they harm other bird populations - but rather they may boost them. It’s somewhat ironic that the review's central conclusion was not mentioned - the effects of pheasant releasing are complex and they must be carefully described to avoid misunderstandings.
Andrew Gilruth
GWCT Director of Communications