GoG News
HIGHLAND PERTHSHIRE GIVES HOPE FOR DECLINING KESTRELS
A wildlife rich stretch of Highland Perthshire is providing hope for the embattled kestrel, with monitors observing trend bucking chick production spanning almost 20 years. Recent national trends were published highlighting an alarming rate of decline for a favourite farmland bird, once commonly seen from roadsides, hovering above its prey. Data sourced from studies by
Read MoreGROUSE SHOOTING LICENSING PROPOSAL A ‘SERIOUSLY DAMAGING BLOW’
Rural organisations said today (26 November 2020) that the Scottish Government’s announcement that it is to develop a licensing scheme for grouse moors will be a seriously damaging blow to fragile rural communities. Following publication of Scottish Government’s response to Werritty Review of grouse moor management, the following joint statement was issued by: British Association
Read MoreMoorland Briefing - grouse sector update - November 2020
The Gift of Grouse ‘Moorland Briefing’ offers a round up of industry news as we head towards the conclusion of the grouse shooting season for 2020. This report offers an insight into the new safety measures implemented to limit the potential spread of Covid-19 and how they have been working well. The findings of a
Read MoreGROUSE MOOR REPORT SHOWS UNRIVALLED IMPACT OF SECTOR TO RURAL SCOTLAND
New Scottish Government-led research into the impact of grouse shooting has provided ‘definitive proof’ of its value to rural Scotland. Scottish Land & Estates welcomed research carried out by Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) and the James Hutton Institute, which studied socioeconomic and biodiversity impacts of driven grouse moors as well as the employment rights of
Read MoreRURAL BUSINESSES BOOSTED BY SHOOTING SECTOR
The importance of the shooting sector to rural businesses has been underlined by new research from the University of Northampton which found that the direct economic benefit of grouse shooting is estimated to be £67.7million per annum for the UK as a whole. In Scotland the grouse season is estimated to be worth £32m each
Read MoreMUIRBURN VITAL IN AIDING CARBON STORAGE AND PREVENTING WILDFIRES
Muirburn – the controlled, cool burning of heather on Scotland’s moorlands – is becoming ever more important in the fight against wildfires in Scotland, land managers said today. As the permitted season for muirburn (October 1 to April 15) opens, grouse moors and estates are working with government, conservation groups and Scottish Fire & Rescue
Read MoreNew Study by the University of Northampton - What Impacts does Integrated Moorland Management including Grouse Shooting have on Moorland Communities?
Authors: Professor Simon Denny, Tracey Latham-Green (link here) This mixed methods research study considers the economic and social impacts of upland, moorland management in the UK and compares them to nationally available data. The research project aimed to identify the economic and social circumstances of communities in moorland areas where grouse shooting takes place, and
Read MoreUNDERSTANDING THE SOCIAL IMPACT OF PARTICIPATION IN DRIVEN GAME SHOOTING IN THE UK
Author: Dr Tracy Latham-Green, University of Northampton Executive Summary of a PhD thesis, 8th September 2020 An estimated 1.5 million people take part in driven game shooting in the UK. The findings of this PhD thesis show that participation offers significant benefits for participants in terms of physical health, mental health, social cohesion, inter-generational mixing,
Read MoreFIRST SUCCESSFUL SEA EAGLE BREEDING IN DEESIDE FOR AROUND 200 YEARS
A sea eagle pair in Deeside have successfully fledged two chicks on a sporting estate – this is the first successful sea eagle breeding in the region in about 200 years. Mar Estate, where the birds are nesting, is managed principally for deer and grouse. Mark Nicolson, a proprietor of Mar Estate, said: “We are
Read MoreCOUNTRY SPORTS VITAL TO RURAL SCOTLAND DESPITE ILL-FOUNDED CALL FOR COVID-19 HALT
The safe participation in country sports is vital to helping the rural economy recover, Scottish Land & Estates said today. The comment comes as country sports has been unfairly singled out by a vocal few as an activity that should not be allowed to take place during Covid restrictions. In common with a plethora of
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