Jeff Knott is RSPB's Head of Nature Policy. Here he shares his own personal perspective on the decision to walk away from Defra's Hen Harrier Action Plan. 

It’s always disappointing when you invest a lot of your time and energy into something and it doesn’t work out as you’d hoped. Whether it’s work, sports or relationships; nothing stings quite as much as the disappointment of unfulfilled potential.

The Hen Harrier Action Plan, created under Defra’s Upland Stakeholder Forum has been like that for me and has had a bit of all three. The potential of a positive opportunity. The misplaced optimism of an England football campaign. And ultimately the disappointing realisation that it’s just not working out.

Four years. That is, to coin a technical phrase, a bloody long time! Four years ago we were gearing up for the London Olympics – seems an age ago doesn’t it?

But four years is also how long discussions went on to try and hammer out an agreement that all parties could agree on and that most importantly, would deliver the recovery of hen harriers. I was the RSPB representative in most of those meetings. While discussion was often difficult and debate was usually forthright, it did feel like there was potential. Getting everyone – conservationists, shooters, landowners, the Government - around a table to try to agree on how to save England’s hen harriers (and only that) was always going to be challenging, but it was a prize worth fighting for. And that’s what kept me going through years of meetings.

When the plan was published earlier this year, we welcomed it. Not because it was perfect – it wasn’t (but then I’d argue no compromise agreement ever is) – but because it represented the potential for progress. Unfortunately, that potential has proved to be as fleeting and as unfulfilled as that of Roy Hodgson’s men at Euro 2016.

I’m not going to repeat the evidence for the lack of progress. For that, give Martin Harper’s excellent blog from last Monday a read. It is clear that the opportunity the action plan presented has not been grasped. The events of this season have made it abundantly clear that the people I spent years sitting round tables with are unable to deliver the real changes we need to see on the ground. And when it’s clear a partnership can’t deliver what it needs to, then it’s time to separate.

And let’s be abundantly clear. The action plan has not failed to deliver because of the RSPB. It has failed to deliver because illegal killing has not ended and hen harriers remain in danger.

What’s my over-riding sentiment to this? Anger? Depression? Disappointment?

No – its determination.

Determination that this will be the last failed process. Determination that we will all, especially law-abiding shooting estates, grasp the real opportunity presented by licensing. Determination that we will continue to work with partners on the ground to protect the birds. Determination that we will save our hen harriers.

And licensing really does offer an opportunity. It’s not a blanket approach, but targeted specifically at driving up standards. Progressives in the shooting community should be looking to embrace licensing as a way to identify and marginalise illegality and bad practice. There are plenty out there calling for a total ban on driven grouse shooting. Over 64,000 have signed this petition. For me, taking licensing seriously provides the grouse shooting industry with an option to avoid the failure of the Hen Harrier Action Plan being seen as another milestone on the way to ever increasing calls for an outright ban on driven grouse shooting and the land use and practices that support it. It’s an opportunity they mustn't let slip by.

Have I wasted the last four years working on an action plan that has failed entirely? I don’t think so. Because much like failure in sports, in relationships, indeed in life, with hen harriers if we learn the lessons and move forward to achieve our goals in the future, ultimately it will all be worth it.

If you share my determination, please attend one of the upcoming Hen Harrier Day events on 6th/7th August and, if you live in Scotland, sign this petition supporting calls for licensing.

Parents
  • Jeff,

    Multi-agency, 6-element plans involving 2 pillars that are still in their formative stages are very unlikely to deliver ‘immediate progress’, not least because those 2 elements haven’t even commenced - hence my question about the ‘Measures of Success’, and their associated timelines, that our Society was working to.  What exactly were they?

    On the southern reintroduction I will ask around, as you suggest.  And on the subject of reintroductions, just been reading in ‘British Birds’ about the successful 6 year-long, multi-agency, multi-stage, cirl bunting project in Devon/Cornwall, see here - http://tinyurl.com/gmjvfmm .  That's the way to do it!  Thank goodness the team there didn't give up when it wasn't looking good, but chose instead to extend the project by 2 years.

    Finally, as I recall, the phrase used was the Pythonesque ‘give him a knee-in-the-groin from me’ (that your colleague seemed quite keen to deliver I might add), and very happy to do so in person when we next see each other :-)

Comment
  • Jeff,

    Multi-agency, 6-element plans involving 2 pillars that are still in their formative stages are very unlikely to deliver ‘immediate progress’, not least because those 2 elements haven’t even commenced - hence my question about the ‘Measures of Success’, and their associated timelines, that our Society was working to.  What exactly were they?

    On the southern reintroduction I will ask around, as you suggest.  And on the subject of reintroductions, just been reading in ‘British Birds’ about the successful 6 year-long, multi-agency, multi-stage, cirl bunting project in Devon/Cornwall, see here - http://tinyurl.com/gmjvfmm .  That's the way to do it!  Thank goodness the team there didn't give up when it wasn't looking good, but chose instead to extend the project by 2 years.

    Finally, as I recall, the phrase used was the Pythonesque ‘give him a knee-in-the-groin from me’ (that your colleague seemed quite keen to deliver I might add), and very happy to do so in person when we next see each other :-)

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