Large‐scale correlations between gamebird release and management and animal biodiversity metrics in lowland Great Britain

Abstract

The ecological effects on populations of non‐game species driven by the annual release and management of tens of millions of gamebirds for recreational shooting are complex and relatively poorly understood. We investigated these effects at a national scale, considering multiple taxa simultaneously. We used records from the UK National Biodiversity Network Atlas to compare animal species and diversity metrics previously suggested to be affected by behaviors of the released birds, or because resources or habitats are influenced by game management or both processes. We contrasted records from 1 km grid squares where gamebirds were reported released in Great Britain, and control squares with similar land cover but where no releases were reported. There were more records overall reported from release grid squares (RGS) compared with controls (CGS), perhaps due to greater reporting effort or greater biological richness. We found fewer foxes in RGS and fewest in grid squares with largest releases, but more carrion crows in RGS. We found no consistent effects for buzzards, ravens, jays, or magpies. There were more rodents and gray squirrels reported from RGS but no differences for reptiles. There were more butterflies but fewer beetles reported from RGS but no consistent patterns for Orthoptera or ground beetles considered common gamebird prey. Farmland and woodland birds exhibited higher abundance, richness, and diversity in RGS when considering absolute records, but woodland bird abundance and richness were lower when correcting for the relative number of records. These nationwide results, despite crude data resolution, reveal diverse effects of gamebird release and management at a national scale and across trophic levels, increasing some non‐game animal populations while decreasing others. This should alert practitioners, opponents, and legislators that a focus on single taxa effects, either positive or negative, may obscure the simultaneous changes in other taxa.

Evaluation of self‐regulation by the hunting community: A case study on the voluntary restraint of woodcock hunting in the UK

“…In the light of an increasing focus on the ecological effects of game shooting in the UK (Madden et al., 2023 ; Madden & Sage, 2020 ; Mason et al., 2020 ; Sage et al., 2020 ), the actions of people who shoot game in the United Kingdom (hereafter ‘hunters’) are being scrutinised and attempts are being made, through both legislation and advice, to change elements of their behaviour to ensure no net ecological loss from their activities. In the case of wild bird harvest (as opposed to game that is reared and released, where the population size and conservation status of released species is dependent on artificial rearing levels), the current approach via legislation to secure positive species conservation statuses is to (i) limit the take of certain species at protected sites through consenting processes or (ii) add or remove species from Schedule II of the Wildlife and Countryside Act (Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, 2023 ) which allows harvest during a defined open season.…”