GWCT Scotland Update - September 2019

Dear Scottish member

I have now been in post for five months as the Director for The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust for Scotland, having taken over from Dr Adam Smith, who has moved to be Director (Policy). There is a lot going on, much of which you will be aware, and the aim of this letter is to give you a feel for the main challenges.

Driven Grouse Shooting

At the time of writing we are waiting for the publication of the Werritty Review. This is being produced for Scottish Ministers, to enable them to make decisions over whether further regulation of driven grouse shooting is needed/necessary.

The Langholm Report, which is also to be published shortly, will highlight the challenges already faced by moorland managers and wildlife. The debate is lively, and in order to get the best out of the debate, GWCT Scotland, Scottish Land and Estates, British Association of Shooting and Conservation, Scottish Gamekeepers Association and Scottish Countryside Alliance are working closely together, coordinating their messages. Social media for GWCT is being managed by Andrew Gilruth from GWCT HQ at Fordingbridge.

Many of you care deeply about driven grouse shooting. Our voice needs to be heard, based on facts, and I hope this will help you engage where appropriate. As a reminder, some of the key facts are:

• GWCT condemns crimes against wildlife.
• We believe it is important to focus on the wise use of land to achieve environmental, social and economic benefits.
• Around 2,500 FTE jobs (both direct and indirect) are reliant on the grouse moor sector in 2009 with £14.5 million spent on wages related to grouse moor management and support activities, with a total ‘Gross Value Added’ contribution of £23 million to the Scottish economy.
• Owners make a very significant contribution to land management and are committed to maintaining this through their own work and by working in partnership with others. Any loss of investment and jobs will affect fragile rural communities.
• Walked-up shooting generates perhaps only a tenth of the income derived from driven grouse shooting. This is insufficient to support the level of moorland management required to generate public benefits and recover the costs of private investment.
• Public benefits include providing good habitat for mountain hares and means they can also benefit from predator control. GWCT research suggests that without the maintenance of open moorland and predator control, mountain hare numbers would decline in the long term.
• Alternative economic land uses on heather moorland, chiefly afforestation or sheep grazing, are significantly worse options for moorland biodiversity than driven grouse shooting, and may be restricted by national conservation priorities. Under these constraints, driven grouse shooting is a significant option to recoup the costs of maintaining key environmental benefits.

Driven Pheasant and Partridge Shooting

We are also witnessing a debate over driven pheasant/partridge shooting. Chris Packham, Mark Avery and Ruth Tingay founded Wild Justice in February 2019, to “stand up for wildlife using the legal system and seeking changes to existing laws”.

Wild Justice have launched a legal challenge requiring the Government to assess the environmental impact of releasing pheasants and partridges into the countryside. Teresa Dent CBE, our chief executive, made the following response on 18 June 2019:

“The GWCT has carried out detailed research to measure the effects of released pheasants and red-legged partridges on other wildlife and wildlife habitats.

Our aims were to provide a science-based approach to quantifying any negative effects of gamebird releasing and to develop solutions where these effects might occur.

We found that the releasing of lowland gamebirds can be done in a way that minimises or avoids negative effects on habitats and other wildlife, and maximises the potential of management practices associated with releasing to deliver broader biodiversity benefit.

These findings are published in our Guidelines for Sustainable Game Bird Releasing, and are enshrined in The Code of Good Shooting Practice.”

Influence

Whilst the media is important in shaping public thinking, ensuring our politicians and their advisors are well informed is vital. Adam Smith and Ross MacLeod are the two staff members who exert political influence through MSPs, Special Advisors, Civil Servants etc. In addition, they work with SNH, RSPB Scotland, NFU Scotland, Forestry Scotland and many others. Decision makers listen to all sides of the argument and our voice must be heard. This is vital work.

Approach

There is no single solution to the understandable scrutiny of game management. We recognise that we will not reconcile all to our viewpoint. But we can, by our responsible proportionate actions, seeking to engage sensibly with those around us, by explaining the importance of places where we shoot showing Biodiversity Net Gain. This goes some way to genuinely demonstrating an acceptance of our responsibilities. Sir Jim Paice, Chairman of GWCT, recently wrote an excellent article for the June edition of The Field, which articulates the need to face up to our responsibilities.

Membership

United around a common interest in game and wildlife conservation, we have a good membership in Scotland which I am keen to grow, particularly among the younger generation. I will be taking this work forward later this year.

Regional Groups and Fundraising

Finally, we would not be able to do what we do in Scotland without your tremendous support. The Regional Groups and the Prestonfield Auction team have run some fantastic fundraising events/auctions, surpassing their targets. These take a great deal of work by some very dedicated individuals. They all deserve our sincere thanks.

I am always looking for new angles to raise money, so if you have a good idea please contact me on brussell@gwct.org.uk or if you would like to donate, please do so here. In the meantime, I am hoping that the Fife Regional Group will be up and running again soon.

Thank you all for your generous and ongoing support.

Bruce Russell
Director Scotland
Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust