Gamekeepers, families and villagers cleared over 35 bags of discarded rubbish from around Tomatin, Carrbridge and Cawdor village last week, astonished by the scale of rural littering.   The members of Tomatin Moorland Group and Cawdor Estate decided to do a countryside clean-up around their local communities, with some having done a similar thing last

An international scientist has claimed the ability of the endangered Curlew to cling on in Scotland and beyond could lie in the hands of gamekeepers managing key moorland habitats. Dr Daniel Hoffman, a certified biogeographer with Game Conservancy Deutschland, was speaking ahead of the second World Curlew Day, which takes place this Sunday (April 21st).

A study by the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) and published in the European Journal of Wildlife Research has found that moorland managed for driven grouse is likely to provide an overall conservation benefit for mountain hares in Scotland. The research looked at mountain hare numbers over a 16-year period from 2001 to 2017.

Gamekeepers throughout the Scottish uplands are taking the lead to ensure mountain hare (Lepus timidus) numbers are sustainably managed for the future by implementing a new counting methodology that provides better insight into their abundance. Nearly 70 gamekeepers and land managers across 47 estates have now attended formal training workshops, led by the Game and

Scotland is a major stronghold for hen harriers, with 80% of the UK population. Land managers and gamekeepers have been stepping up efforts as part of the ‘Heads Up for Harriers’ project to help protect the hen harrier population in Scotland. Last week a parliamentary question submitted by Andy Wightman MSP asked how many estates

By Tim Baynes, Director of SLE’s Moorland Group. Setting the heather alight is an idiom that most are familiar with – even if some might not be sure exactly where the phrase originated from. The benefits of controlled heather burning on moorland has long been known to land managers and scientists and the reasons for

Scotland’s grouse sector has taken a multi-million pound hit due to the poor weather – but that has not dampened the private investment in vital conservation work yielding significant results for the nation’s treasured wildlife. New figures estimate the financial impact of the shoot cancellations to be approximately £38.5m – direct spending on grouse shooting

The number of women taking part in both clays and game shooting, such as grouse, in Scotland has risen steadily over the past few years, breaking the stereotypical male dominated image of country sports. The British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) has welcomed the influx of women into shooting sports in recent years and

Countryside and wildlife organisations today appealed for the Scottish Government-led review into grouse moor management to be allowed to take its course in the interests of rural Scotland. The British Association of Shooting and Conservation, The Scottish Countryside Alliance, Scottish Land & Estates and the Scottish Association of Country Sports issued a joint statement as