2024

The GWCT condemns the illegal killing of all birds of prey and so the RSPB’s Birdcrime Report, which records 1,344 incidents of the illegal killing of raptors in 15 years, makes for depressing reading. Sadly, the criminal acts of a minority bring gamekeepers into disrepute. By doing so, they cloud the positive conservation work done by game managers across the country – including their work to help raptors.

The southern reintroduction of hen harriers is an ambitious project with one goal: to re-establish a wild population of these majestic birds in southern England.

Conservation conflict between marsh harriers and waders may be minimal, but the fact that waders and their chicks are a minor part of the harriers’ diet is not evidence of this, and the RSPB should know better than to suggest it.

Grouse shoot licensing is now in operation. After acceptance of an application, compliance with licensing and code requirements will be monitored through declarations and the provision of information returns.

NatureScot announced that the grouse shoot licensing scheme will launch on 15th July 2024.

During the last week of May and the first week of June, GWCT staff were active across Scotland assessing tick burdens on red grouse chicks. This was the third year of surveys within a five-year research project that aims to determine the relationship between mountain hare densities and red grouse tick burdens.

A recent article in the Guardian (8^th April) about the Bermuda triangle for hen harriers typifies the debate surrounding hen harrier conservation and the nature of this ‘human-wildlife conflict’. 

So, the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Bill has passed through Scottish Parliament, marking nearly seven years of scrutiny, originating with the implementation of the Werritty Grouse Management Review in 2017.

If we hoped for some respite from the weight of policy consultations, bills and legislation that confronted us in 2023, the barrage has continued unabated so far this year.

The Last Keeper is a feature-length film that will draw huge attention to this nuanced debate in a way that no film by us, or any of the other Scottish organisations, could achieve.