The overarching aim of the GWCT is to change the public perception of proactive wildlife management and sustainable use. At Auchnerran we want to demonstrate how agricultural practices, livestock management, wildlife conservation and game management can co-exist to form an economically viable system.
We aim to use our demonstration farm to inform, influence and inspire as follows:
Inform
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Act as a reference point for other organisations that support its evidence-led approach.
- Host Farm Walks, Shoot Days and other initiatives, allowing GWCT supporters access to information on its operations.
- Be a forum for discussing best practise and for keeping farmers, keepers and managers informed of the latest developments.
- Enhance the GWCT’s shooting, farming and biodiversity advisory services as well as providing training days on snaring and predator control.
- Enter joint projects with the MacRobert Trust and The James Hutton Institute and the like, allowing hands-on cooperation with other like-minded organisations.
Influence
- Show policy makers a logical continuation of landscape stewardship, from snipe bog, through to barley, permanent pasture, the hill-edge and up to the heather moorland.
- Demonstrate the benefits of the GWCT's ‘Farmer Clusters’, and of farmer-led landscape-scale conservation.
- Demonstrate the link between economically viable management and practical conservation objectives.
Inspire
Engage with the local community as well as provide education and inspiration for land managers and the wider public.- The GWCT’s education programme at the Allerton Project can provide a template for similar work at Auchnerran: public access facilities and open days, tertiary education, talks to land management and conservation students, school-age visits and workshops.