BBC Wildlife - UK (2019-12)

December 2019 BBC Wildlife 23

WILDNEWS

Grouse: Chris Atkinson/500px/Getty; hen harrier: SCOTLAND: The Big Picture/NPL

KEEPING YOU UP TO DATE WITH THE BIG NATURE STORIES

By

ADRIAN BARNETT,

STUART BLACKMAN,

J A M E S F A I R , M E G A N

S H E R S B Y a n d

LEOMA WILLIAMS

LangholmMoorDemonstrationProjectresults

A

decade-longprojectestablishedto

resolvetheconflictbetweengrouse

shootingandbirdsofpreyhasrevealedits

resultsina reportreleasedinOctober.

Thoughnumbersofhenharriersand

merlinonLangholmMoor,intheScottish

Borders,increasedthanksto gamekeepers

controllinggroundpredatorssuchasfoxes

andcorvids,grouseproductivitydidnot

riseenoughforshootingto takeplace.

Whenpredatorcontrolwas

removedtowardstheendofthe

project,henharriernumbers

declined.“Ifthere’sno

moorlandmanagement,

therearenobirdsofprey

either,”saysAdamSmith,

olicydirectorforthe

Game& Wildlife

ConservationTrust

(GWCT)in

Scotland,oneofthepartnersinthe

LangholmMoorDemonstrationProject.

Moorlandownerssaypredatorcontrol

canonlybefundedif therearesufficient

numbersofgrouseto beshotbypaying

clients.Thisis wheretheconflictkicksin.

“Mortalityassociatedwithraptorsigns

wasthemostimportantfactordetermining

adultgrousesurvivalandwasclosely

linked,possiblyalongsideweather,to low

ratesofchicksurvival,”thereportstates.

Grouseshootingsupporterssaythey

needto beableto reducethisimpact.

Broodmanagement– wherebychicksare

removedfromtheirparentsandraisedin

captivity,to bereleasedlateron– is being

trialledinEngland,butSmithbelieves

otherinterventionsmaybenecessary.

“Thenextstagemaybenest

managementtoinfluencethenumber

ofbreedingsitesortheabilityofbirdsof

preytohatcheggs,”hesays.

ButJeremyWilson,headofconservation

scienceforRSPBScotland,whichwasalso

a projectpartner,saystargetsforgrouse

bags– thenumberofgrouseshotina

season– arebecomingunsustainable.

“Inthehistoryofgrousebagsat

LangholmsinceWorldWarII,shooting

2,000grouse– thetargetsetfortheestate

• hasbeentheexceptionratherthanthe
  rule,”Wilsonsays,“soperhapsthistarget
  wastooambitiousinretrospect.”
  Moorlandowners,hesays,needto lower
  theirsights.Thereportitselfacknowledges
  this.“Drivengrouseshootingmayhave
  to chargemoreforfewerbraceofgrouse
  shotto maintainmanagementthatis both
  effectiveandsociallyacceptable,”it says.
  JamesFair

Finalreportonmanagingmoorlandforgameandwildlifeconservationispublished.

HABITAT

FIND OUT MORE The Demonstration

Project http://www.langholmproject.com

and the report bit.ly/2q7eSDC

Moorland management

report assesses whether

breeding raptors can

co-exist with commercial

driven grouse shooting.