The GoG Blog

Scotland is home to an astounding number of birds of prey – and grouse moor management is one of the key environments for species to succeed, with high quality habitat and fewer predators than other landholdings. Such has been the success of recent conservation efforts, that of the UK’s 21 bird of prey species, only

By Iain Hepburn, head gamekeeper, Dunmaglass Estate and a retained firefighter with the Scottish Fire & Rescue Service Not many of us will have cause for celebration when hearing last week’s announcement about the proposed licensing of grouse moors but what’s more deeply concerning would be the licensing of muirburn. The true value of muirburn

By Ross Ewing, Moorland Director at Scottish Land & Estates It is often forgotten that red grouse are wild birds living in an uncompromising moorland habitat. Even their Greek trinomial name – Lagopus lagopus scotica – speaks to unique characteristics that allow them to survive in harsh environments. Lago means ‘hare’ or ‘rabbit’; while pous

This year’s Estates that Educate programme is larger than ever before with nearly 800 children taking part in hands-on demonstrations of rural conservation and land management skills across Scotland. Primary and secondary school pupils in the Angus Glens, Grampian, Southern Uplands, Tayside, Strathdearn and Speyside will benefit from five consecutive weeks of moorland education sessions

Ronnie Kippen, retired gamekeeper served over 50 plus years on moorlands, 41 of which as keeper and then head keeper on an estate in Glen Quaich, Perthshire. Ronnie has witnessed considerable change over his time out working on the Scottish moors. Here he reflects on the increasing professionalism of the job and the intense interest

NatureScot’s progress report on its Pollinator Strategy published this week includes details of exciting conservation projects to help boost the number of pollinators in the lowlands and in urban areas of Scotland. In the uplands, traditional moorland management over thousands of acres already provides a superb environment for flowering plants and crucial native pollinators such

By Tim Baynes, Moorland Director at Scottish Land & Estates The role of muirburn in maintaining some of Scotland’s most precious habitats can be heated one – but new science from the University of Cambridge is the latest research to demonstrate the importance of ‘cool burns’ to our upland ecosystem. Published in Nature Geoscience by

The grouse season ends today, 10th December , and while the number of shoot days has been limited, the season continues to provide an extraordinary boost for biodiversity and the rural economy in Scotland, with numerous birds of prey nesting successfully and spending by estates rising to £15m. Tim Baynes, moorland director of Scottish Land

As the COP26 climate conference comes to an end, land managers are celebrating the progress already achieved towards meeting the key goals set out for sustainable land management and biodiversity. Here we summarize the top six environmental benefits of grouse moors. Wildfire prevention Climate change is increasing the likelihood of wildfires, including in the UK,