By Rory Kennedy, Director Scotland
It would be fair to say 2022 was a year of challenge but also a year of notable success for GWCT Scotland.
During the year, we faced an unprecedented tsunami of government policy developments, impacting virtually every area of our work. This requires a huge resource commitment but is imperative to represent the best interests of the countryside – both its biodiversity and its communities.
A large focus for us has been the proposed grouse moor and muirburn licencing. Regulation seems an inevitability of modern life, but we are working to ensure any licencing scheme is built around the evidence, existing best practice, and is designed to deliver workable outcomes we can all support.
Our involvement has also extended to finding innovative solutions to policy pinch points. An example would be the use of phone apps that geolog and time stamp data inputs from practitioners in the field. We have developed these systems for keepers to demonstrate legal compliance with trapping protocols, recording ignition points for muirburn and raptor monitoring. This approach may help avoid unnecessarily onerous restrictions, where accountability can be built into the regulatory framework.
We are immersed in a vast array of other policy areas including the mammoth task of reinventing Scotland’s agricultural support schemes, and the highly divisive ideological battles over capercaillie. In the latter case, the Scottish Government’s Scientific Advisory Committee vindicated our long-held position on the urgent need for predator control to avoid extinction.
However, subsequent months of politicking saw this opportunity for collective action dragged back down into the usual ideological trench warfare. We aim to always be the sensible voice in the room, balanced and driven by the evidence, but at times it is a lonely position. The fight continues!
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Meanwhile, the recruitment of a dedicated head of Scottish research has considerably increased our capabilities in Scotland. As such, our research activity has never been higher and we currently have projects under development across a broad range of areas including; the impact of mountain hare, waders, peatland rewetting, badgers, capercaillie, raptors, game bird release, and various regenerative farming techniques about to be trialled at our Auchnerran demonstration farm.
There have been frustrations in the year and an obvious one is the slow progress of our farmer clusters. These bottom-up conservation initiatives can be hugely effective and in England there are now over 1m acres under the GWCT scheme.
However, there remains a frustrating disparity with England due to the absence of government funding for the necessary facilitation input in Scotland. We have approached Scottish Government to fund a 2-year farm facilitator post, as part of a proof of concept. While we continue to push government for funding, we are seeking alternative funding for this position, which we consider vital in delivering our vision in Scotland.
2022 also saw us deliver another successful game fair under the new operator model. By stepping back from the operational delivery of the event we have been able to refocus our attention on charitable objectives. The 2022 show saw us mark the Scottish Year of Stories with a book and storytelling event to complement our central exhibit. ‘Listen to the Land’ saw close to 30 participants speaking, across three tents, over three days and was a major success. It reached out to a wide range of people, including a dedicated kids’ tent, and we hope to incorporate this element permanently.
Meanwhile our regional committees continued to battle in the face of adversity, with the availability of auction lots severely impacted by the legacy of Covid and avian influenza. While many regional events didn’t go ahead, the Scottish Auction and the West Coast Dinner recorded bumper years and is a huge feather in the cap of all involved.
So, what is in store in 2023? The first half of this year is likely to see a continuation in the wave of policy demands placed on us, which restricts our ability to deliver the proactive policy initiatives we want to see. However, it is vital we remain on war footing to meet the serious risks facing our countryside.
We have also considerably increased our output over the last year, but this carries an increased cost base, even before the current inflationary crisis. As such, we face considerable funding challenges in ensuring we can continue to deliver our long-term vision while we bed-in a new fundraiser.
Meanwhile we aim to improve member engagement, and we will be hosting a number of talk evenings during the year to keep you up to date with our work in Scotland. It is hoped that this will be partly facilitated by the relocation of our headquarters to Hopetoun House. This represents a cost saving and we are actively exploring ways to harness the potential of being sited at such a fantastic location.
We also hope to use webinars and media content to allow supporters to get a better idea of what we do with their funding. It is unfortunate that many members are only aware of a fraction of our vital work and anything that helps engage them, while spreading our wider message, is absolutely critical.
On behalf of all the team at GWCT Scotland I thank you for all your vital support and we hope to meet with you over the coming year.