It sounds unlikely the RSPB would decide to oppose shooting (report, October 28) because they have spent the past ten years helping to fund the recovery of a driven grouse moor, at Langholm on the Scottish Borders, which aimed to shoot 1,000 brace a season. They supported the use of traditional moorland practices, such as heather burning to restore the habitat, the killing of foxes and crows to help recover the ground-nesting bird species, and the use of medicated grit to reduce worm burdens in red grouse.
All of these techniques are regulated, but legislation does not always work – especially in cases of wildlife conflict. Langholm Moor has also provided the best evidence that the conflict between red grouse and hen harriers is genuine. This is why the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust supports the testing of innovative ideas, such as Defra’s hen harrier brood management scheme, which seeks to address the underlying conflict behind the illegal killing of harriers – in the interests of both.
Andrew Gilruth
Director of Communications, GWCT
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