News Release                          

Issued: 8^th August 2008

For immediate use

‘GLORIOUS 12^TH’ brings many benefits to scottish countryside

Organised grouse shooting on the ‘glorious 12^th’ by sporting estates not only creates vital local jobs, it also leads to support for threatened bird species and attracts significant income for the Scottish economy.

That was the announcement of the Scottish Countryside Alliance (SCA) which represents rural communities and businesses in the run up to the grouse shooting season opening.

Populations of some the most recognisable and cherished moorland birds in Scotland, curlew and lapwing, have halved across Scotland as a whole in the last 12 years. But scientific studies have shown that they are holding out on managed grouse moors due to the year round conservation work done by moorland keepers, and the SCA believes this could be the solution to stopping further decline.

The most recent Breeding Bird Survey (BTO, JNCC and RSPB 2006) showed that in just 12 years between 1994 and 2006, the population of lapwing had decreased by 47% and curlew by 52%. This should be a real cause for alarm say SCA. Even more alarming that in the latest revision to the Red List by Birdlife International, the curlew (perhaps the most instantly recognisable moorland bird with its haunting call in the spring and summer) has been listed as “Near Threatened”, only one step below those species facing global extinction.

Geva Blackett, chief executive of SCA, said: “Sporting estates are playing several vital roles in the Scottish countryside. Their land management keeps down numbers of predators such as foxes, and this in turn helps birds such as the lapwing and curlew to thrive. They also employ keepers, use local businesses and act as a hub of economic activity in rural areas that really need the boost to the economy.

“Scotland is world renowned for the sport of grouse shooting over our iconic heather moorland. Visitors come from all over the world during the Scottish shooting season and contribute £240m per annum to the Scottish economy. This money helps to provide employment in otherwise fragile rural communities. Much of that money is recycled back into local wages and service providers with no profit taken away by the owners - indeed there is significant net annual investment by owners. This underlines the value to Scotland of its famous grouse shooting estates.”

The best estimate tells us there are over 6000 participants each year in Scottish grouse shooting (based on 2000 data): about 20% from Scotland, 51% from the rest of the UK and 28% from North America and the rest of the world. So it is a significant export.

Ends

For more information, please contact:

Peter Kane

Tel:                  01463 871600

Mobile:             07742 308213

Email:              info@kanecommunication.com

www.savethewader.org.uk

www.scottishcountrysidealliance.org

http://www.rspb.org.uk/news/details.asp?id=tcm:9-189758

Notes to Editors:

1.     The Scottish Countryside Alliance (SCA) campaigns for the interests of rural communities and businesses in Scotland. It works in partnership with the Scottish Parliament and various relevant organisations to find balanced solutions to countryside issues ranging from the impact of fuel costs on businesses to the best methods for successful land management.

2.      The SCA is a fully devolved policy and budget centre of the Countryside Alliance.

3.      Every single bird is eaten and there are never enough to satisfy demand. As a result grouse is a premium food. The young birds may go to restaurants as a seasonal speciality, or sold privately, while some of the older birds can be processed into pate, or even exported.

4.      A typical shoot day is very carefully organised as the outcome of just a few days shooting per year can make the difference to people’s livelihoods. As in all forms of game shooting, gun safety is paramount.

5.      Moorland keepering is a highly skilled job requiring dedication and tough people. More and more hill keepers are college trained now but many of the best hill keepers are still those with a family history in the job. The main basic skills needed are in fox, crow and stoat control and heather burning, but there is an increasing amount of public relations work and keepers have to know all the law and all about wider conservation management. They are real day to day conservationists – practical bird and plant experts who do an enormous amount in looking after moorland wildlife.
 

6.      Many other species benefit from the management regime on grouse moors, especially from predator control. Many of these are protected species. Waders, Curlew, Lapwing, Golden plover, Dunlin, Dotterel, Redshank, Greenshank, and Black grouse. Fox and crow control also protects ground nesting birds of prey – particularly Merlin, Hen Harrier and Short eared owl. Also the Red grouse itself, now Amber listed and the UK’s only truly native bird which is only found on moorlands, and unquestionably saved from extinction in many areas by the interest in shooting