You will find this article in the Podcast as Wildlife Matters Investigates
Moorland Devastation – Exposed by our Wildlife Matters Investigates exposes the destruction of the habitat on our upland moors that are being managed for Red Grouse for the shooting estates destroying the carbon syncs of peatland and causing water contamination and flooding in the lowlands.
The Estate owners and shooting associations make huge claims about how their work benefits the moorland and the environment, but our investigation reveals the horrifying impact on the British environment by the mismanagement of of upland moors by Shooting estates
They don’t talk about the massive subsidies they are paid by the Government (that’s your tax money) to maintain bio-diverse habitats and ecosystems rich in flora and fauna because this is not what they are doing.
No one knows precisely, but land managed for shooting Grouse seems to occupy between 10% and 18% of Scotland. Vast areas of northern England are given over to it, too. Whatever it is – it’s a lot of land. It’s also land that is very far from being “natural”.
These vast swathes of land are dedicated only to raising as many red Grouse as possible. The success of a grouse shooting estate is measured by the size of its “bag” – or the number of Grouse killed. The bigger the bag, the more prestigious the estate is perceived to be – by those who get their enjoyment from killing wild animals.
They are creating a monocultural environment based on Heather for the benefit of one species – red Grouse.
The so-called traditional management of the land consists of burning and vegetation control. Traditionally, moorland was burnt on a 30-year rotation to create a mosaic of different habitats. Due to the intensity of the Grouse raised only to be shot for so-called ‘sport’, this rotation is now four years and dropping.
There are several ways for the estates to ensure that there are as many Grouse as possible. One approach is to ensure they don’t get sick before the Guns can shoot them. They spread medicated grit across the moors to stop the Grouse from getting worms that can kill them. No one knows what impact this medication has on other flora and fauna.
Up to 3,000 medication stations were found on just one estate. There is a worryingly high incidence of grit being left all over the moors. Ironically, there is scientific evidence that these grit stations can aid disease transmission in Grouse as they attract multiple birds to the same spot.
The second approach has no science to support it because, according to Scottish Government figures, the estates kill an average of 26,000 mountain hares each year. After all, Mountain Hares can transmit disease a tick bourne disease to the Grouse or, depending on which Gamekeeper you talk to, that Mountain Hare “over-graze the heather” so there’s not enough left for all the Grouse.
The Grouse Moor Management Review Group could find no scientific basis for these beliefs. Once again, no one knows or seems to be looking.
One thing is for sure, Scotland’s iconic Mountain Hare is in danger of becoming extinct in its upland habitat.
Another approach to ensure the maximum number of Grouse for shooting is to attempt to eradicate any predator that predates Grouse.
That means Foxes, stoats, weasels, crows, and ravens are ruthlessly targeted with traps and snares. Incredibly, this mass slaughter of native wildlife is legal under a “General License” easily applied for online and with little or no scrutiny.
The Estates’ methods of killing native wildlife are cruel, slow, and barbaric. They use “Stink pits”, a hole in the ground full of dead and rotting animals, to attract wildlife to a ring of snares surrounding the pit.
For those that don’t know, Snares are wire devices intended to trap but not kill their targets, usually foxes. The snare holds the animal around the neck until a Gamekeeper comes along to shoot it.
Incredibly, It is still legal to snare foxes that are left suffering for up to 24 hours! Foxes are found suffering horrendously, with deep neck and often leg wounds (no snares don’t always catch the animal around the neck) and due to the indiscriminate nature of snares, protected animals like badgers and even pet cats and dogs have been found in snares.
Stoats and weasels are targeted by spring traps that are supposed to kill outright. The spring traps are often placed on polls laid over watercourses, deceptively luring the stoats and weasels into a deadly trap.
Much of the press coverage has featured the killing of the Raptors. All UK Raptor species are protected by law, and it is an offence to disturb their nests, eggs or chicks. However, Golden Eagles, Hen Harriers, Buzzards, and other satellite-tagged Raptors disappear from the satellite tracking systems on or close to shooting estates. The mysterious absence of these protected birds and the suspicious disappearance of satellite-tagged birds were driving forces behind the Scottish Government’s commissioning of the Grouse Moor Management Review Group.
There are also environmental impacts. To encourage higher grouse numbers, enormous areas of Scotland are set on fire each year.
This burning results in soil loss, increased carbon emissions, loss of soil nutrients, soil productivity, and acidification of rivers. It is also one of the significant factors in the absence of trees on grouse moors. Trees get in the way of the shooters and provide convenient lookout positions for birds of prey.
The increased burning leaves huge ‘patchwork areas’ where rainwater, rather than soaking into the peat bogs, can only ‘run off’ the surface.
In addition, the straightening of rivers for the agricultural benefit is the real reason we have seen such a dramatic and devastating increase in flooding in our rural towns and villages, as the river and flood protection systems cannot cope with the deluge running off the hills.
Critically, these moors supply up to 70% of the UK’s drinking water, filtered through peat bogs. Managing the land for Grouse and Heather includes burning more land, more often, including protected peat bogs.
Peat was a traditional fuel used by crofters for generations; it burns slowly, even underground, and destroys the peat bog habitat and everything that depends upon it.
Whilst peat is an excellent natural carbon store and has a massive role to play in our work to mitigate climate change, the shooting estates burning the peat releases the stored carbon back into the atmosphere – this reverses the small gains the UK is making in its attempts for ‘Net Zero’.
But that isn’t all – We are all paying higher water bills because the water companies now have to filter the water from the moors. After all, shooting estates burn peat bogs, meaning the water is not filtered naturally.
Burning causes Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) and discolouration of the water, requiring additional treatments by the water companies, and you can guess who is paying for that ‘additional’ treatment – Yes, that’s right, it’s you and me.
We are appalled at the level of taxpayers’ money that supports the shooting estates and their poor conservation of our rich and diverse natural environment.
The financial costs are substantial when you understand the actual costs of subsidies, but the devastating impact on our upland habitat, native wildlife, climate, water quality, and the increased risk of flooding is unacceptable. The cost to the native wildlife and the impact on the ecosystems and biodiversity of the upland moorland is irreparable.
Further Reading
Wild Moors Org Burning Issues Councils unite to save Britain’s Moorland
Environmental change in moorland landscapes J. Holden a, L. Shotbolt b, A. Bonn c, T.P. Burt d, P.J. Chapman a, A.J. Dougill e, E.D.G. Fraser e, K. Hubacek e, B. Irvine a, M.J. Kirkby a, M.S. Reed e, C. Prell f, S. Stagl g, L.C. Stringer h, A. Turner a, F. Worrall i
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