Grouse moors could be far better managed for activities more beneficial than shooting - Yorkshire Post Letters

As the ‘glorious’ August 12 approached I had wondered what nonsense we would be subjected to this year regarding our moors and grouse shooting.

So Adrian Blackmore’s article came as no surprise in its attempt to justify the use of vast acres of our precious land for the pleasure of a few rich people who shoot wildlife.

As in previous years, a report is cited, making conclusions about the ‘sustainability’ of maintaining moorlands for grouse shooting. But as usual that report was one that had been sponsored by the grouse shooting community itself.

In contrast, research by Rewilding Britain two years ago found that intensively-managed grouse moors leave nature impoverished and contribute to climate breakdown, and that illegal persecution of birds of prey still occurs on some grouse moors.

The Economist of August 12 reports that about 7 per cent of British land is given over to the hobby of grouse shooting enjoyed by just 12, 500 people.

How we use our land is very much under the spotlight in our attempts to reach net zero whilst ensuring climate justice.

Our uplands could be far better managed for a wide variety of activities which would benefit many more of us, such as commercial forestry, renewable energy, rewilding, tourism, and conservation.

The meaning of ‘sustainability’ for the grouse shooting community is about how they can continue their environmentally damaging hobby, very different from the well-understood meaning of sustainability in environmental terms.

Changing how we use and manage our uplands is important for tackling the existential threats of climate and biodiversity breakdown, so perhaps now is the time to consider whether continuation of the minority hobby of grouse shooting is really in the public interest.