Environmental impacts of high‐output driven shooting of Red Grouse <i>Lagopus lagopus scotica</i>

Thompson, Patrick S.; Douglas, D.; Hoccom, David G.; Knott, Jeff; Roos, Staffan; Wilson, Jeremy D.

doi:10.1111/ibi.12356

Cited by 37 publications

(72 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…In their article, Thompson et al . () express their desire to see grouse moor management more closely regulated and present evidence to support the case for better regulation of driven grouse shooting. However, we believe that the case for such action is far from watertight and seek to present a more nuanced view of grouse moor management, highlighting what is known, what is not known and where evidence is contradictory.…”

mentioning

confidence: 63%

“…However, we disagree with Thompson et al . () on how to bring about a scenario whereby economically viable grouse shooting can coexist successfully with the improved conservation status of protected species. It is not by practising the less intensive ‘walked‐up shooting’ model, which is less economically viable than driven shooting and brings no wider conservation benefit in its wake (Sotherton et al .…”

Section: Predator Controlmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our view, that game management should be undertaken sustainably and in ways that improve biodiversity and ecosystem services, is consistent with those expressed by Thompson et al . (). We nevertheless have different visions of how this may be achieved.…”

mentioning

confidence: 97%

“…We do not dispute that data have been published that indicate damage from grouse moor management (except where Thompson et al . have been challenged by the original authors of such work over the RSPB's interpretation of their findings; Davies et al . ).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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An alternative view of moorland management for Red Grouse Lagopus lagopus scotica

Sotherton

Baines

Aebischer

2017

Ibis

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mentioning

confidence: 63%

Section: Predator Controlmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 97%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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An alternative view of moorland management for Red Grouse Lagopus lagopus scotica

Sotherton

Baines

Aebischer

2017

Ibis

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“…Recent attention has concentrated on the wider impacts of driven grouse shooting, including on factors such as carbon storage, water quality, and flood alleviation (e.g., Sotherton et al, 2017;Thompson et al, 2016) and on species of conservation concern (Watson & F I G U R E 2 Responses of red grouse and three wader species to predator control intensity. Predator control (expressed here as the number of full-time equivalent staff carrying out predator control per 1,000 ha) was selected in the best performing model for each of the plotted species.…”

Section: Implications For Moorland Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of different aspects of grouse moorland management on nontarget bird assemblages

Littlewood

Mason

Hughes

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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Conflict between stakeholders with opposing interests can hamper biodiversity conservation. When conflicts become entrenched, evidence from applied ecology can reveal new ways forward for their management. In particular, where disagreement exists over the efficacy or ethics of management actions, research clarifying the uncertain impacts of management on wildlife can move debates forwards to conciliation. Here, we explore a case‐study of entrenched conflict where uncertainty exists over the impacts of multiple management actions: namely, moorlands managed for the shooting of red grouse (willow ptarmigan) Lagopus lagopus in the United Kingdom (UK). Debate over how UK moorlands should be managed is increasingly polarized. We evaluate, for the first time at a regional scale, the relative impacts of two major moorland management practices—predator control and heather burning—on nontarget bird species of conservation concern. Birds were surveyed on 18 estates across Northern England and Southeast Scotland. Sites ranged from intensively managed grouse moors to moorland sites with no management for grouse shooting. We hypothesised that both targeted predator control and burning regimes would enhance ground‐nesting wader numbers and, as a consequence of this, and of increased grouse numbers, nontarget avian predators should also be more abundant on heavily managed sites. There were positive associations between predator control and the abundance of the three most widespread species of ground‐nesting wader: strong effects for European golden plover Pluvialis apricaria and Eurasian curlew Numenius arquata and, less strongly, for common snipe Gallinago gallinago. These effects saturated at low levels of predator control. Evidence for effects of burning was much weaker. We found no evidence of enhanced numbers of nontarget predators on heavily managed sites.

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Assessment of peatland burning in Scotland during 1985–2022 using Landsat imagery

Spracklen,

Spracklen

2023

Ecol Sol and Evidence

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In the Scottish uplands, prescribed burning of moorland vegetation is widely practised either to boost gamebird numbers for recreational shooting or to improve livestock grazing. In recent years, this system of land management has become controversial due to concerns over the potential impacts on ecosystem services. However, there are limited data on the extent, distribution or frequency of burning and it is unclear whether there are long‐term trends in burning. Crucially, the extent of burning on peat soils is not well known. We used a time series of Landsat imagery covering 7750 km2 of moorland in Eastern Scotland to detect annual variation in area burnt from 1985 to 2022. Burnt areas were detected using annual changes in Normalised Burn Ratio. An accuracy evaluation conducted over eight sites covering 415 km2 using a combination of Google Earth imagery, and field studies suggested a user's accuracy of 90% and a producer's accuracy of 77%. We estimate an average annual mean area burnt of 61 km2 with large interannual variability and no significant change in area burnt over the 38‐year study period. We estimate that 32% of burning (19 km2 year−1) occurred on deep peat soils with no reduction in burning on deep peat after the revision of national guidelines (the Muirburn Code) in 2017 recommended ceasing this practice. We find that in Eastern Scotland there has been no significant change in moorland area burnt over the last four decades. The fractional area burnt that is on deep peat is a matter of management concern.

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Environmental impacts of high‐output driven shooting of Red Grouse Lagopus lagopus scotica

Cited by 37 publications

References 37 publications

An alternative view of moorland management for Red Grouse Lagopus lagopus scotica

An alternative view of moorland management for Red Grouse Lagopus lagopus scotica

The influence of different aspects of grouse moorland management on nontarget bird assemblages

Assessment of peatland burning in Scotland during 1985–2022 using Landsat imagery

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