If we needed any reminding of the ongoing link between grouse moors and the illegal persecution of our birds of prey, last week gave us some striking and timely examples. In Aprll, horrified walkers witnessed a Red Kite being blasted out of the sky in the middle of managed moorland at Lochindorb, only a few miles from where another Red Kite was found illegally poisoned two years ago. Then, only a few days later, a gamekeeper was fined £1,500 after he was filmed shooting a Sparrowhawk on Moy Estate, another area with a history of crimes against birds of prey.
These recent cases are unusual, in that they were witnessed. However, the killing of birds of prey is not uncommon, and is more frequently found to take place on land managed for gamebird shooting. Most of the time these crimes go undetected as they are largely concealed by the perpetrators, save for the suspicious failure of a nest or the sudden disappearance of a satellite-tagged bird. But decades of witness evidence, police investigations, prosecutions and a wealth of peer-reviewed science all illustrate an unequivocal pattern of offending linking raptor persecution to grouse moor management, and the negative impact of this criminal activity on the populations of iconic bird of prey species such as Golden Eagle, Peregrine, Hen Harrier and Red Kite. A number of these species have only recently seen their numbers begin to recover following many decades of killing and others such as Hen Harrier remain at low levels.
In the face of the nature and climate emergency, it is clear that the status quo is not sustainable and urgent action is necessary to prevent further loss of these amazing species.
How will the Wildlife Management Bill help?
Image of a Red Grouse on moorland. Credit: Ben Andrew (RSPB Images)
After years of campaigning by RSPB Scotland and other organisations, we commend the Scottish Government for their introduction of the Wildlife Management and Muirburn Bill. This legislation has been brought in with the intention of finally stopping the illegal killing of birds of prey on grouse moors. It will introduce licensing for all grouse shooting, with the right to shoot grouse dependent on adhering to the law and codes of practice related to sustainable management.
As a landowner ourselves we believe that licensing is a proportionate approach which is already successfully used in many other countries like Scotland. Estates which operate responsibly and legally have nothing to fear from this new legislation.
Given the challenges of obtaining enough evidence to secure a criminal prosecution, we agree that using a civil burden of proof on which to base decisions on relating to potential licence revocation is sensible, and similar to that already used regarding General Licences for wildlife management.
The draft Bill also contains proposals to license all muirburn (vegetation burning) to help protect Scotland’s peatlands as vital carbon stores and irreplaceable habitat and as part of the Scottish Government’s commitments to combating climate change.
When looking at the landscapes of Scotland it is not hard to find areas that have in the past been burned in very damaging ways, and every burning season RSPB Scotland gets more reports of valuable wildlife habitats or nesting birds that are burned out. Using our upland burn reporting app, over the last two years we have worked to understand where and when burns are taking place.
A prescribed burn taking being undertaken. Credit RSPB Images
The Scottish Government is proposing a series of largely sensible measures including the licensing of all muirburn; the requirement to produce a muirburn plan; and the stopping burning on peatlands of a certain depth. Muirburn is a high-risk land management activity and other public interests must be protected.
How can you get involved?
A consultation on the proposals considered for the draft Bill was carried out in December. It received almost 5,000 responses, with many backing the proposals for both licensing of grouse shooting and the regulation of muirburn. We strongly support these measures and will continue to provide constructive comments about how these can be improved in the public interest.
Right now, the Wildlife Management Bill is at the start of its journey through the Scottish Parliament, and there are still a number of opportunities for us to make sure that it delivers for Scotland’s nature.
The Rural Affairs and Islands Committee is leading on scrutiny of the Bill and will hear evidence in relation to the draft from interested parties over the coming weeks and months and we have responded to the Committee's “Call for Views”.
Banner image Credit: Norman Norris (rspb-images.com)
Hi
i would like to respond to this Call for Views but I am unsure how to respond to some of the questions. Is there a ‘crib’ produced by the RSPB that I can refer to for guidance?
Thanks