- Tuesday 28 March 2023 at Shropshire Conference Centre, Shrewsbury
- Tickets: £50.00 - Book here >
The leading game management event returns as a face-to-face conference on 28 March for the first time since 2019. Run by the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT), the information-packed gathering brings together the industry’s foremost experts and the latest evidence-based game management techniques.
“Game 2023 is the number one event for professional game managers who want to be up to speed with the latest research and advice on the current issues affecting lowland game shoots,” said co-organiser Dr Roger Draycott of the GWCT.
“Carefully selected GWCT and outside speakers will tackle some of the challenges and opportunities facing shoots today, including an update on where we stand with avian Influenza as we look forward to summer and the 2023-24 season.”
Hosted by GWCT Chief Executive Teresa Dent, the conference devotes a whole section to the impact of avian influenza, with vet Ian Jones of Hafren Veterinary Group bringing a gamebird specialist vet’s perspective on AI, and Tim Weston of the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation (NGO) discussing the impact of the outbreak on gamekeepers and the prospects for 2023/24.
The programme will include Dr Julie Ewald on how the GWCT’s National Gamebag Census has been gathering gamebag records for more than 60 years, providing vital information on species population densities and a unique historical perspective on changes in shooting itself.
GWCT Scotland’s Nick Hesford will discuss how shoots north of the border have been collecting their own data to demonstrate what the GWCT calls ‘Best practice with proof’ – evidencing the good that well-run shoots can do – and how this will become ever-more important for shoots all over the UK.
An update on the changing state of shooting and releasing regulations in Wales from GWCT advisor for Wales, Matthew Goodall, will follow, in the context of Natural Resources Wales’ current consultation on gamebird releasing, and what it could mean for the future of shooting in Wales and beyond.
Delegates will hear from Spike Butcher, Operations Director of Aim to Sustain, on the important role of Aim to Sustain within the game industry, and the mission of the nine partner organisations involved.
Nathan Williams, who is undertaking his PhD with the GWCT, will share a fascinating update on his research into fox diet; and the GWCT’s Dr Rufus Sage will discuss whether shoots influence fox abundance. This work aims to help plug evidence gaps highlighted in Defra’s last review in 2020.
Lunch, included in the ticket price, will give delegates the opportunity to meet and discuss topical subjects highly relevant to the future of shooting.
“The overriding aim of the conference,” continued Roger, “is to promote best practice in game management through knowledge exchange.”
The day runs from 9.30am to 4pm. Tickets are £50 each and available from gwct.org.uk/game23
Notes to editors
The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust – providing research-led conservation for a thriving countryside. The GWCT is an independent wildlife conservation charity which has carried out scientific research into Britain’s game and wildlife since the 1930s. We advise farmers and landowners on improving wildlife habitats. We employ 22 post-doctoral scientists and 50 other research staff with expertise in areas such as birds, insects, mammals, farming, fish and statistics. We undertake our own research as well as projects funded by contract and grant-aid from Government and private bodies. The Trust is also responsible for a number of Government Biodiversity Action Plan species and is lead partner for grey partridge and joint lead partner for brown hare and black grouse.
For information, contact:
Eleanor Williams
Telephone: 07592 025476
Email: press@gwct.org.uk