Briefing note on shooting & management

This is a brief by the British Association for Shooting and Conservation. BASC is the UK’s largest shooting organisation with a membership of over 148,000.

Briefing produced by

Briefing note on grouse shooting & moorland management

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Briefing note on grouse shooting & moorland management

About grouse shooting and management

The total upland moorland area in the UK has been assessed as between two and three million hectares. An estimated 1.3 million hectares of this upland moorland is influenced by management for grouse shooting. are truly wild , which cannot be reared. They are only found in the and are closely associated with heather moorland, as heather is their primary food source. Grouse shooting delivers time, effort and millions of pounds of private investment into moorland management, supporting biodiversity, rural economies and communities and the ecosystem services that the uplands deliver for public good. The conservation benefits of grouse moor management are well evidenced.

Grouse moor managers are working to restore peatland that has been historically damaged by government-incentivised drainage to increase agricultural productivity - thousands of hectares have already been restored. This is done by blocking drainage ditches, rewetting peat and creating ponds, amongst other activities. Moorland managers represent a conservation workforce of ‘upland custodians’ investing time and money into land management, and supporting upland ecosystem services. Without such a workforce, the equivalent of this work would not be possible without large costs to the taxpayer.

One of the primary arguments against grouse shooting surrounds the illegal killing of raptors. BASC wholeheartedly condemns all illegal persecution. The Recovery Plan has been agreed by government and is underway. It was agreed by consensus following an extended period of dialogue between land managers, shooters and conservation groups, supported by professional mediators. The recovery plan is the next important step in improving the future of our uplands - and success can only be achieved by stakeholders working together.

The Joint Raptor Study showed that loss of grouse shooting had a significant impact on biodiversity, local economy and people, including job cuts. To many observers this represented a ‘lose-lose’ situation in terms of nature conservation, culture, employment and economic activity.1 Walked-up grouse shooting is often presented as an ‘alternative’ to , but it does not produce the necessary income to achieve the same conservation benefits as driven grouse shooting. To achieve these conservation benefits, there needs to be enough income from shooting to fund conservation work, including employing staff to manage heather and control predators.2, 3

Recent debates in scientific literature have raised awareness of “the need for informed, unbiased debate” surrounding grouse moor management.3, 4 Strategies which ignore the socio-economic benefits obtained from grouse moor management are unsustainable. It is therefore crucial that stakeholders work together on these issues, in order to surmount challenges and retain the economic, environmental and social benefits of grouse moor management.

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Briefing note on grouse shooting & moorland management Benefits to biodiversity The legal predator control and habitat management undertaken by grouse moor managers is important for a range of UK upland species, in addition to red grouse.

Birds

(e.g. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)  A rich body of robust evidence demonstrates that Species names are grouse moors are important strongholds for many of the UK’s coloured according to most threatened wading species - including lapwing and their Birds of Conservation Concern curlew - because of the management carried out for red grouse. status, where red is the highest conservation  A Natural Evidence Review7 concluded there was strong priority. evidence that increased burning and legal predator control correlated with higher densities of red grouse (which itself is unique to the British Isles), golden plover, curlew, lapwing, redshank, and ring ouzel.

 The & Wildlife Conservation Trust showed that the breeding success of species listed above and meadow pipit was significantly improved with predator removal.8 Research has shown that breeding merlin records doubled on ‘keepered grouse moors while declining by more than half elsewhere.10 Similarly, skylark were found to be more abundant on moorland managed for grouse than elsewhere.5 In northern England, about 90 per cent of occur on the edges of grouse moors, where gamekeepers are employed to manage heather and control predators.11

 Hen harriers also fare better on moorland when it is managed for red grouse when illegal persecution does not occur.5, 12 When fox and crow control was carried out by gamekeepers at Langholm Moor, hen harriers fledged twice as many chicks; however abundance and breeding success of hen harriers dropped when the moor was no longer managed for red grouse.12 When grouse moor management was restored, so was hen harrier breeding success, to a level more than double that of harriers elsewhere in .13

 A new study commissioned by a dozen grouse moors, and undertaken by Newcastle and Durham Universities, surveyed 18 moorland estates across England and Scotland between April and June 2017. Preliminary results showed 76 bird species on the grouse moors, including 43 endangered ones. Skylark were 32 per cent more prolific with intensive gamekeeper protection and there were six times more curlew, eight times more golden plover, and 24 times more lapwing on sites with highly intensive predator control compared to areas with hardly any control. Snipe and oystercatcher were also much more prolific when protected from predators like foxes, stoats and crows.14

 Examples of what happens to biodiversity and wildlife when grouse moor management ceases are worrying. The Berwyn Special Area for Conservation (SAC) was a grouse moor originally designated as an SAC for its high numbers of raptor species. When grouse shooting stopped, lapwing were lost, golden plover declined by 90 per cent and curlew

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Briefing note on grouse shooting & moorland management

declined by 79 per cent. Hen harriers declined by 49 per cent and ring ouzel by 80 per cent.15

 The Joint Raptor Study was a long-term study, designed to work towards a potential ‘win- win’ situation where breeding raptors coexisted with commercial driven grouse shooting. During the study, when grouse shooting became unviable because of predation on grouse by hen harriers and gamekeeping stopped, crow and fox numbers increased, breeding hen harrier numbers dropped back, grouse numbers further declined, breeding wader populations declined to very low numbers, and the status of both the Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Special Protection Area (SPA) was found to be unfavourable.1 The uplands need management; if left unmanaged they become a degraded asset.

 Legal predator control is recognised as a tool for conservation. In 2014/15, RSPB controlled 2,141 pests and predators on its reserves for conservation reasons, including at least 1,610 mammals and 531 birds including 227 eggs.16 Predator control may also mitigate climate change effects on bird species by enhancing wader productivity, particularly where climate effects coincide with changing land use.17

 Legal control of bird and mammal species is governed by legislation and recognised codes of practice supported by shooting organisations, including BASC.

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Briefing note on grouse shooting & moorland management

Plants and habitats

 Heather moorland is a globally threatened, internationally important habitat. Worldwide, it is rarer than rainforest and the fact that heather burning occurs in the UK for grouse moor management is by and large the reason that 75 per cent of heather moorland worldwide is found in the UK.18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23

 Prescribed burning benefits peat-forming species, such as sphagnum moss, which increase when burn intervals are short.24

 Moorland burning is capable of maintaining high conservation value in plant, invertebrate and bird communities25 and prescribed burning is recommended to maintain floral diversity in heathlands in Scotland.26

 Grouse moor management helps to reduce the spread of invasive and potentially damaging species, such as bracken. Grouse moor managers contribute to controlling 57,000 hectares of bracken in the UK, to stop it swamping and killing other moorland plants and providing a breeding ground for ticks.27

 An RSPB research report28 stated: “Management that maintains a vigorous cover of competing species (as rotational muirburn aims to do) tends to limit, rather than encourage, the spread of bracken, with one long-term study in the Quantock Hills, southwest England, demonstrating that dwarf-shrub heath was more likely to have been lost to bracken if it was not burnt between 1938 and 1987 than if it was burnt at least once during that period.”

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Reducing the spread of disease

 Viruses transmitted by sheep ticks can cause high mortality in red grouse chicks,29 in addition to human health risks from the transmission of Lyme Disease. These ticks have been found to occur not only on red grouse, but on the young of red-listed moorland wading birds.30 Many grouse moor managers privately fund tick treatments, benefiting not only red grouse and livestock farmers, but upland wader species too.3

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Briefing note on grouse shooting & moorland management Landscape-scale benefits Grouse moor managers are upland custodians who safeguard and preserve our upland landscapes, providing public benefits. This prevents the loss of upland moorland to afforestation, neglect, overgrazing, wildfires or wind farms, while also benefitting a range of plant and habitat types. Peatland restoration work would suffer and cost the taxpayer without the time, effort and private investment of grouse moor managers.

Peatland restoration

 Historic government-incentivised draining of peatlands to increase agricultural productivity was ecologically damaging. Peatland drainage and cultivation also encourages the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.31 One recommended option to restore damaged peatland is to facilitate privately funded restoration efforts.32 Grouse moor managers are actively working to restore damaged peatland, through the investment of time, effort and private funds.33, 34, 35

 Re-vegetation of bare peat is a key method for reducing carbon loss from upland soils33, 36 and plants such as sphagnum moss and heather help slow carbon loss.37 Grouse moor management helps slow the loss of heather20 and grouse moor managers are restoring peatland by reintroducing Sphagnum, blocking moorland drains and re-vegetating thousands of hectares of bare peat.33, 34, 35 Moorland managers have restored 18,000 hectares of peatland so far, with much more to come.34

 Natural England’s 2011 report on SSSI condition35 stated that one of the biggest achievements in the SSSI improvement programme had been the turnaround of grouse moor condition, which covered 17 per cent of the area of all SSSIs. The burning code of practice, the blocking of drainage ditches and the development of new management techniques have helped to restore SSSI condition.

 In 2012/13, conservation labour carried out for grouse moor management (re-seeding heather, re-wetting deep peat, general heather management and controlling bracken), was equivalent to 314 full-time conservation jobs. This is a known underestimate.27

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Prescribed burning and best practice

 Just 0.68 per cent of heather moorland in Britain is burned each year.4 Burning is regulated by law, guidance and codes of practice, as well as being covered by cross-compliance regulations (GAEC).

 A case study of an upland estate managed for grouse shooting in the found that burning was undertaken in keeping with best practice guidelines, and that the risk of large or escaped fires was very low.38

 The RSPB recognise the value of controlled moorland burning to increase the suitability of the reserve for key breeding birds; burning is used on a number of its reserves.

Reducing wildfire risk

 Large areas of old heather which are not rotationally burnt may pose a major fire hazard due to a build-up of fuel loads, and wildfires are more likely to ignite deep peat, which would cause serious damage and release large amounts of carbon.39 Regular burning reduces fuel loads, mitigating the risks of large and damaging wildfires.21, 40

 In a letter to the chairman of Natural England in July 2014, the Chief Fire Officers’ Association (CFOA) said: “Prescribed burning is a vital tool for the management of fuel loading and is considered by the Fire and Rescue Services (FRS) to be a critical component of their wildfire prevention plans.” The letter also stated that alternatives to prescribed burning for managing fuel loads were not considered as effective.

 Evidence suggests heather burning significantly decreases the magnitude of carbon released by up to 25% compared to unburnt areas. This is because the quantity of carbon released during the burning phase is less than that recaptured during the heather growth phase, as older vegetation is significantly less efficient at sequestering carbon.41 More recently burned areas are smaller sources of carbon than older ones, leading to an ‘avoided loss’ of carbon.42 The char left behind after a fire also stores carbon.43

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Reducing flood risk

 Grouse moor managers are helping to reduce downstream flood risk by rewetting peat, blocking grips/drains to slow water runoff and creating ponds and mini moorland scrapes, amongst other things. 27, 44

 In the North AONB alone, Moorland Association members have helped plug 4,370km of moorland drainage ditches and revegetated 120 hectares of bare peat.44 Moorland Association members have also created thousands of mini moorland ponds that benefit insects, water vole and amphibians, as well as catching sediment and slowing water run-off, reducing erosion and flood risk downstream.45 This work also contributes to the rewetting of blanket bog, which increases carbon capture.44

 A Natural England review on the effects of managed burning7 stated: “No evidence was identified specifically relating to the effect of burning on watercourse flow or the risk of downstream flood events.”

 An RSPB report noted that: “A number of studies have found that the installation of dams in drains raises the water table and slows down the water discharged through the drainage network… This in turn has been found to increase water quality.” The same report also stated: “The way in which grouse moors are managed may have a role to play in moderating downstream flooding.”28

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Briefing note on grouse shooting & moorland management Benefits to upland communities The benefits of grouse shooting to upland economies are felt by the many, not just the few. Grouse shooting and moorland management has a significant social and cultural role in upland communities.

Economy

 Research by Public & Corporate Economic Consultants (PACEC) estimated that grouse shooting, and moorland management for the purpose of grouse shooting, had a total economic value of approximately £67.7m in England and Wales in 2010. Around £15.2m of this was spent on goods and services such as travel and accommodation, activities which support supply chains. An estimated £52.5m was spent on land management, and of this around 10% was for government approved agri-environment work to cover some of the cost of providing specific public goods. The rest was privately funded.45 For Scotland, a 2010 report estimated that grouse shooting was worth around £23m in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) annually.46 Another source estimated that grouse shooting generated over £30m per year in wages alone.47

 Combining the above figures for England and Wales with those for Scotland allow the estimation that grouse shooting in England, Wales and Scotland is worth nearly £100m annually – however differences in how these estimates of economic activity were arrived at should be borne in mind. Grouse shooting is clearly a strong incentive for investment in the UK uplands and remote rural areas.

Employment

 Grouse shooting has been estimated to support 1,520 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) jobs in England and Wales annually.45, 48 In Scotland, employment supported by grouse shooting has been estimated at between 1,072 jobs46 to 2,640 FTE jobs annually.47 A conservative estimate of the number of jobs supported in England, Wales, and Scotland by grouse shooting might therefore be 2,500 – 4,000. Differences in how these estimates of employment activity were arrived at should be borne in mind, however.

Tourism and rural business

 Much of the revenue from ‘let’ grouse shooting days is put back into the land – for example, via gamekeepers’ wages, materials, equipment and work needed for conservation and management. Recent research by moorland estate groups across Scotland, surveyed 45 estates and found that more than £23 million flows directly into local businesses in trade generated by the activities of the estates. This figure does not include wages paid to gamekeepers or other staff, or the income accommodation providers receive from visiting shooters. The research found that businesses like local garages and building firms benefited from business worth, on average, £514,886 from each estate.49

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 In Scotland, country sports (including grouse shooting) tourism has been estimated to account for 270,000 trips to Scotland and 910,000 visitor overnight stays annually. Country sports including grouse shooting contribute more to the Scottish economy than wildlife watching, cycling, adventure activities, water sports, snow sports and horse riding.50, 51

 Shooting tourism represents an important boost for rural areas, which is especially important in the tourism ‘off season’ months. Grouse shooting has been shown to boost out of season hotel occupancy by 30 per cent or more in alone.52

 Game shooting and associated moorland management play a significant social and cultural role in many upland communities, contribute to employment and the local economy, shape the landscape and influence the environment.53

 A case study of a grouse shooting provider in Scotland revealed that products and supplies purchased by the shoot were generally sourced from within in a ten to fifteen mile radius – such as fuel, feedstuffs, pesticides, quad bikes and other vehicles.27

 Restrictions on grouse shooting would significantly affect the businesses dependent on it. Some upland communities would not be viable if grouse shooting was banned. Studies show that when grouse shooting stops, this has a significant impact on the local economy and people, including job cuts.1

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Socio-cultural role

 A widely-used definition for upland areas is land categorised as ‘Less Favoured Areas’, an EU classification for socially and economically disadvantaged agricultural areas. An ‘ageing’ population is a concern in the uplands in general, as many young people tend to leave in favour of lower-cost housing and higher wages elsewhere.53

 Grouse shooting can encourage the retention of young people in upland communities. Surveys and interviews to explore the benefits and impacts of the grouse shooting industry on upland communities, revealed that 63 per cent of respondents agreed that the grouse shooting industry contributed to keeping young people in the local area. In addition, 81 per cent of respondents felt that grouse shooting was a strong part of the community’s culture and heritage.54 Between 21 and 35 per cent of respondents reported either direct or indirect dependence on grouse shooting for their livelihood.55

 One of the most important community-level benefits of grouse shooting is the presence of gamekeepers and their families in upland communities. Survey respondents said that the presence of gamekeepers’ children was contributing actively to the retention of community services such as schools.54

 The uplands offer a cultural ecosystem service, in that they provide non-material benefits to people. Moorland is valued as a cultural asset. It is particularly prized for its sense of openness, and heather is a feature that contributes to the quality of the experience.56 More than 90 per cent of English grouse moors fall within a National Park or an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) - but landscape quality would be affected in the uplands through scrub and bracken encroachment.53 Without grouse moor management, therefore, cultural landscape quality would be affected.

 Visits to the uplands produce wellbeing benefits – physical (e.g. exercise) and psychological (e.g. recreation and relaxation). People’s experience of and reaction to upland landscapes tend to be strong, and generally people value them for their sense of ‘wildness’, heritage and openness in addition to species assemblages.56 Without management for grouse, the uplands would look very different, and people would lose the enjoyment of the iconic, vast swathes of purple heather that characterise UK uplands.

 Shooting has been shown to provide a unique mix of wellbeing benefits for participants – from getting people active, to reducing social isolation and encouraging engagement with the natural environment. Research suggests shooting on the whole is actively contributing toward government wellbeing targets by providing personal, social and physical benefits.57

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A summarised case study of a grouse shooting provider in Scotland:27

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Food production

 Estimates of annual grouse bag sizes vary. The latest estimate is 700,000 red grouse shot in 2012/13 in the UK.27 The estimated value of this provisioning service £490,000 annually.58

 Grouse is highly regarded as the ‘King of Gamebirds’. It is a healthy meat that is prized by chefs. The popularity of game meat increases year on year.

 Grouse is a particularly lean and nutritious meat: according to McCance and Widdowson’s The Composition of Foods, roast grouse has less than one third of the fat, double the protein, and up to four times more iron and calcium than roast chicken.59

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References

1 GWCT et al. (2014) Langholm Moor Demonstration Project: Seven year review. 2 Sotherton, Tapper & Smith (2009) Hen harriers and red grouse: economic aspects of red grouse shooting and the implications for moorland conservation. Journal of Applied Ecology, 46(5): 955-960. 3 Sotherton, Baines & Aebischer (2017) An alternative view of moorland management for red grouse lagopus scotica. Ibis, 159: 693-698. 4 Davies et al. (2016) The role of fire in UK peatland and moorland management: the need for informed, unbiased debate. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, doi:10.1098/rstb.2015.0342. 5 Baines et al. (2008) The direct and indirect effects of predation by hen harriers Circus cyaneus on trends in breeding birds on a Scottish grouse moor. Ibis, 150: 27-36. 6 Tharme et al. (2001) The effect of management for red grouse shooting on the population density of breeding birds on heather-dominated moorland. Journal of Applied Ecology, 38: 439-457. 7 Glaves et al. (2013) Natural England Review of Upland Evidence 2012 - The effects of managed burning on upland peatland biodiversity, carbon and water. Natural England Evidence Review NEER004. 8 Fletcher et al. (2010) Changes in breeding success and abundance of ground-nesting moorland birds in relation to the experimental deployment of legal predator control. Journal of Applied Ecology, 47: 263-272. 9 Buchanan et al. (2017) Quantifying the importance of multi-scale management and environmental variables on moorland bird abundance. Ibis, doi:10.1111/ibi.12488. 10 Rogers, S. (2014) Merlin study report. Report to the Moorland Association, Penny Anderson Associates. 11 Warren & Baines (2004) Black grouse in northern England: stemming the decline. British Birds, 97: 183-189. 12 Baines & Richardson (2013) Hen harriers on a Scottish grouse moor: multiple factors predict breeding density and productivity. Journal of Applied Ecology, 50 (6): 1397-1405. 13 Ludwig et al. (2017) Long-term trends in abundance and breeding success of red grouse and hen harriers in relation to changing management of a Scottish grouse moor. Wildlife Biology, doi: wlb.00246. 2017 14 Knapton (2017) Grouse moors actually protect rare birds, study shows. The Telegraph. 15 Warren & Baines (2014) Changes in the abundance and distribution of upland breeding birds in the Berwyn Special Protection Area, North Wales 1983-2002. Birds in Wales, 11: 32-42. 16 Harper (2016) The conservationist's dilemma: an update on the science, policy and practice of the impact of predators on wild birds (3). An RSPB blog. 17 Douglas et al. (2013) Upland land use predicts population decline in a globally near-threatened wader. Journal of Applied Ecology, 51(1): 194-203. 18 Aebischer, Ewald & Tapper (2010) Driven grouse shooting in Britain: A form of upland management with wider conservation benefits. In: Proceedings of the World Symposium on Activities: Ecologic and Economic Benefits of Hunting. The World Forum on the Future of Sport Shooting Activities, 186–201. 19 Bardgett et al. (2001) The extent and condition of heather on moorland in the uplands of England and Wales. Biological Conservation, 71(2): 155-161. 20 Robertson, Park & Barton (2001) Loss of heather vulgaris moorland in the Scottish uplands: The role of red grouse Lagopus lagopus scoticus management. Wildlife Biology, 7: 11–16. 21 Tucker (2003) Review of the impacts of heather and grassland burning in the uplands on soils, hydrology and biodiversity: English Nature research report 550. 22 Holden et al. (2007) Environmental change in moorland landscapes. Earth-Science Reviews, 82(1-2): 75-100 23 Thompson et al. (1995) Upland heather moorland in : a review of international importance, regulation change and some objectives for nature conservation. Wildlife Biology, 71(2): 163-178. 24 Lee et al. (2013) Long-term effects of rotational prescribed burning and low-intensity sheep grazing on blanket-bog plant communities. Journal of Applied Ecology, 50(3): 625-635 25 Werrity et al. (2015) A review of sustainable moorland management. Report to the Scientific Advisory Committee of Scottish Natural Heritage 26 Welch (2016) The floristic changes of Scottish moorland dominated by heather but unburnt for 50 years and kept checked by moderate grazing. New Journal of Botany, 6(1): 31-42. 27 PACEC (2014) The Value of Shooting: The economic, environmental and social benefits of shooting sports to the UK. PACEC, Cambridge.

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28 Grant et al. (2012) The costs and benefits of grouse moor management to biodiversity and aspects of the wider environment: a review. RSPB Research Report No. 43. 29 Buxton & Reid (1975) Experimental infection of red grouse with louping ill virus ( group). Journal of Comparative Pathology, 85(2): 231-235. 30 Newborn et al. (2009) Occurrence of sheep ticks on moorland wader chicks. Bird Study, 56: 401-404. 31 JNCC (2011) Understanding UK peatlands. 32 Reed et al. (2010) Policy options for sustainable management of UK peatlands. Scientific review commissioned by the IUCN. 33 The Moorland Association & The Heather Trust (2015) Peatland restoration: landowners rising to the challenge. 34 The Moorland Association (2016) Highs and lows for start of grouse season. 35 Natural England (2011) Protecting England’s National Treasures: Sites of Special Scientific Interest. 36 Natural England (2013) Restoration of degraded blanket bog. Natural England Evidence Review NEER003. 37 Ward et al. (2015) Vegetation exerts a greater control on litter decomposition than climate warming in peatlands. Ecology, 96(1): 113-123. 38 Allen et al. (2016) Prescribed moorland burning meets good practice guidelines: A monitoring case study using aerial photography in the Peak District, UK. Ecological Indicators, 62: 76-85. 39 Davies et al. (2008) The future of fire management in the British uplands. International Journal of Biodiversity Science & Management, 4(3): 127-147. 40 Allen, Harris & Marrs (2013) Matrix modelling of prescribed burning in Calluna vulgaris - dominated moorland: short burning rotations minimize carbon loss at increased wildfire frequencies. Journal of Applied Ecology, 50: 614- 624. 41 Clay, Worrall & Rose (2010) Carbon budgets of an upland blanket bog managed by prescribed fire. Journal of Geophysical Resarch, 115, doi:10.1029/2010JG001331. 42 Clay, Worrall & Aebischer (2015) Carbon stocks and carbon fluxes from a 10-year prescribed burning chronosequence on a UK blanket peat. Soil Use and Management, 31(1): 39-51. 43 Lehmann et al. (2008) Australian climate-carbon cycle feedback reduced by soild black carbon. Nature Geoscience, 1: 832-835. 44 The Moorland Association & BASC (2016) Briefing note – grouse moors and flooding. 45 The Moorland Association (2011) Grouse moor management linchpin of upland economics and wildlife. 46 Fraser of Allander Institute (2010) An Economic Study of Grouse Moors: an update. Report to the GWCT Scotland. 47 Scottish Land and Estates & Scottish Moorland Group (2013) Scottish Moorland and Grouse Management Fact Sheet. 48 The Moorland Association (no date) Grouse shooting economics. 49 BBC News (2017) Survey reveals ‘significant’ economic impact of grouse estates. 50 PACEC (2014) The benefits, volume and value of country sports tourism in Scotland. PACEC, Cambridge. 51 SNH (2010) Assessing the economic impacts of nature based tourism in Scotland. 52 Sport & Recreation Alliance (no date) Reconomics: Case studies. 53 Commission for Rural Communities (2010) High ground, high potential – a future for England’s upland communities. 54 McMorran (2009) Red grouse and the Tomintoul and Strathdon Communities - The benefits and impacts of the grouse shooting industry from the rural community perspective; a case study of the Strathdon and Tomintoul communities in the National Park. 55 McMorran (2015) Grouse shooting, moorland management and local communities: Community perceptions and socio-economic impacts of moorland management and grouse shooting in the Monadhliath and Angus Glens. 56 Williams (2011) Public Attitudes and Preferences for Upland Landscapes: a short evidence review prepared for Defra’s Agricultural Change and Environment Observatory. Research report 24. 57 BASC (2015) The personal value of shooting: the social, physical and personal wellbeing contribution of shooting in the UK. BASC, Rossett. 58 BASC (2015) The role of shooting in landscape scale land management. A BASC white paper. BASC, Rossett. 59 Food Standards Agency (2002) McCance & Widdowson’s The Composition of Foods, 6th edition, Cambridge: Royal Society of Chemistry.

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Further reading: BASC (2015) Grouse shooting and management in the United Kingdom: its value and role in the provision of ecosystem services. A BASC white paper. BASC, Rossett.

The British Association for Shooting and Conservation Marford Mill, Rossett, Wrexham LL12 0HL Tel: 01244 573 000 Fax: 01244 573 001 Email: [email protected] www.basc.org.uk

Images by Northeastwildlife.co.uk, Moorland Organisation, Pixabay, Nick Ridley, Matthew Perring and Kate Ives.

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