Driven Grouse Shooting and Moorland Management

Dave Windle

The major news is that NatureScot has finally been goaded into action and done something about the continuing persecution of raptors. See Press and Journal (9 Feb 2022) and Raptor Persecution UK

The sanction of restricting general licence conditions on part of the estate is more of a tap on the wrist than anything else.

©RSPB

However, the move may encourage estate management to act like a more normal employer and take responsibility for the actions of their employees. It may help to get the message home that flouting the law will eventually have consequences. The estate is blustering about an appeal and claiming to abhor wildlife crime in any form. Maybe, they should point that out to their keepers? Many of us think that this is too little, too late. But, at least, it’s a step in the right direction.

It's not just Invercauld. Many other estates are at it. The RSPB report on bird crime makes for very depressing reading. The interim results of the survey of mountain hares that we have been publicising can be read here.

Finally, regular readers will know that I’m a big fan of the work ongoing in the Borders. Both the Borders Forest Trust and the Langholm Initiative are inspirational in how much they’re achieving via real community involvement. The Langholm initiative is now fundraising to buy the second tranche of land from the Buccleuch estate. Why can’t we have something like this on Deeside?

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