BIRDS OF PREY FLOURISHING ON SCOTLAND’S GROUSE MOORS
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
Read MoreMUIRBURN – THE ULTIMATE ARMOUR AGAINST WILDFIRES
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
Read MoreGROUSE MOOR MANAGEMENT BRINGS BALANCE TO OUR UPLANDS
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
Read MoreHUNDREDS OF CHILDREN TAKE PART IN MOORLAND EDUCATION PROGRAMME
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
Read MoreHOW GROUSE MOOR MANAGEMENT HAS CHANGED OVER THE YEARS
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
Read MoreThere’s a buzz about grouse moors
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
Read MoreCAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY RESEARCH ADDS TO BANK OF SCIENCE DEMONSTRATING MUIRBURN'S POSITIVE CONTRIBUTION ON CARBON
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
Read MoreBIODIVERSITY AND ECONOMIC BOOST FROM THE GROUSE SEASON, DESPITE FEW BIRDS
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
Read MoreRewilding & the BBC
By Dee Ward, Rottal Estates I was pleased to be asked to host the BBC national network news at Rottal Estate recently and eagerly anticipated journalist Allan Little’s report which was broadcast on Wednesday both on television and radio. Of course, there’s never enough time to tell your whole story but I was surprised and
Read MoreThe six environmental Gifts of Grouse
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,
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