GWCT News Blog

Patrick Barkham is wrong to claim that the management of hen harrier broods is “to placate grouse moor owners”.

Natural England have announced that it is set to undergo the first hen harrier brood management trial, following the conditions of the licence being met. We welcome this news and hope it can deliver a positive outcome for hen harrier recovery.

We respond to a recent piece in The Spectator claiming that grouse moors would benefit from rewilding.

A new paper underlines the importance of unlocking the conflict that has driven the illegal killing of harriers, a point first made by the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust in 1998.

Last year the RSPB asked the High Court to clarify if Natural England’s decision to issue a licence to trial hen harrier brood management was lawful. On Friday 15 March Mrs Justice Lang DBE provided that reassurance.

The High Court in London has issued the result of a judicial review into Natural England’s decision to grant a licence to allow brood management of hen harriers.

Isla Hodgson is absolutely right to say that efforts to resolve the conflict between hen harriers and grouse moors have so far focused on two areas: diversionary feeding and legislation.

Carefully managing broods of harriers to unlock this proven conflict is eminently sensible and one of the reasons why it has been used around the world for a range of other species.

It's bizarre that anyone should feel ploughing up our heather moorlands is great idea (Grouse shooting is ‘least effective’ use of Scotland's land, December 10).