Single species management of hen harriers poses a threat to other wildlife says new study

A new study by the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust, one of this country’s leading wildlife research charities says that allowing high density grouse moors to decline to low density ones could lead to the complete collapse of grouse shooting in England and parts of Scotland and would thus put at risk precious heather habitat and high numbers of breeding waders. 

The Trust’s study,  Hen harriers and red grouse: economic aspects of red grouse shooting and the implications for moorland conservation, is published on-line in the Journal of Applied Ecology and considers the social and economic factors that will be needed to resolve the conflict of red grouse and hen harriers.  It also states that a reduction in management effort from driven to walked-up shooting is not the answer.

The study by the Trust compared the bags, costs and incomes from these less intensive forms of grouse shooting with the more intensive driven shooting and it was apparent that allowing high density grouse moors to decline to low density ones will result in a greater loss of income and this could lead moor owners to abandon grouse management as it becomes more uneconomic – and thus leading to the loss of employment for many gamekeepers.

Grouse moors cover some 56 per cent of the English uplands – mostly concentrated along the Pennines and the North York Moors. These have become havens for ground nesting birds vulnerable to nest predation, such as red grouse, golden plover, lapwing, and curlew and ninety per cent of black grouse leks in northern England are on the margins of grouse moors.  The study says that it is no accident that the North Pennines, the South Pennines are the North York Moors have been designated as SPAs, mostly on the basis of their substantial numbers of breeding waders.

Dr Adam Smith, one of the co-authors of the study and the Trust’s Scottish Policy Officer said, “Resolving the hen harrier and red grouse conflict should not undermine the management of English grouse moors for sound conservation reasons, and this is why the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust, together with many other organisations are involved in the Langholm Moor Demonstration Project, which is seeking a scientific way forward.”

Dr Smith continues, “We are very concerned that some recent studies appear to be promoting single species management over a holistic approach to moorland management.  Ultimately, if we lose our grouse shooting then our study unequivocally shows that in the long run we could stand to lose many other important ground nesting bird species and much precious moorland habitat in the process.”

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The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust’s study can be viewed online:
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/119878127/issue.

PHOTO:  Hen harrier chicks

Notes to editors

The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust is an independent wildlife conservation charity which carries out scientific research into Britain’s game and wildlife. We advise farmers and landowners on improving wildlife habitats and we lobby for agricultural and conservation policies based on science. We employ 14 post-doctoral scientists and 50 other research staff with expertise in areas such as birds, insects, mammals, farming and statistics.  We undertake our own research as well as projects funded by contract and grant-aid from Government and private bodies.   The Trust is also responsible for a number of Government Biodiversity Action Plan species and is lead partner for grey partridge and joint lead partner for brown hare and black grouse.

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