Reflections on Hen Harrier Day 2020

Further to my earlier post today ....

Online Hen Harrier Day 2020 has concluded.

It was brilliantly hosted by ChrisPackham and Megan McCubbin via a live stream on You Tube and was interesting, informative, shocking and inspiring in equal measure. It included guest speakers and campaigners, conservation organisations, mini films, poetry, music and art.

Young speakers included the inspirational youth campaigners Dara McAnulty, Mya-Rose Craig and Holly Gillibrand all of whom speak so eloquently on the climate emergency, biodiversity loss, rewilding, wildlife conservation and tackling raptor persecution and other wildlife crime.

As with BBCSpringwatch, the online Hen Harrier Day 2020 via social media was even better than the on-site event, even if this was as a result of the huge human tragedy that is the Covid-19 pandemic.

Hopefully in 2021, Hen Harrier Day will see a return to community events around the UK but also include social media coverage for anyone unable to attend an event.

Robust scientific evidence and public opinion will eventually win through and the killing of legally protected wildlife and the damage to our fragile upland habitats and ecosystems will cease.

It is only a matter of time.

It’s not a question of will driven grouse shooting be stopped or reformed, only when.

Anyone who cares about wildlife and the environment should have the confidence to know that we can beat the lies, the bullying and the criminality of a small minority in the hunting and shooting community.

We can make a difference through a campaign that is growing every year and with every Hen Harrier Day.

Grouse moors are a complete anachronism of times past. This highly intensive and destructive land management regime subsidised by taxpayers and undertaken by a few wealthy landowners is designed to allow a few other wealthy people to shoot Red Grouse purely for "fun".

Killing Red Grouse for “fun” or as a “sport” is appalling in its own right. That is even before we get started on the persecution and killing of other wildlife and so many adverse environmental impacts such as habitat destruction, escalation of flood risk, lead poisoning and the uncontrolled burning leading to the loss of biodiversity and the release of carbon emissions which contribute to the climate emergency.

This disgusting “hobby” for a wealthy few needs to be made illegal and with it the outrageous killing of legally protected wildlife and the damage to our fragile upland habitats and ecosystems.

The “wealthy few” starts with the Monarchy (allegedly …. but see here) and includes many large upland estates owned by the privileged aristocracy, other wealthy individuals including several Conservative MPs plus many anonymous landowners who hide their identity behind secretive offshore trusts.

Given the complete failure to act by successive Secretaries of State for the Environment for a Conservative Government, it is unlikely that we will see driven grouse shooting either licensed with regulated accountability and vicarious liability or, better still, banned outright until the UK has a progressive party or coalition of progressive parties in Government.

After all, it was a Labour Government that passed the Hunting Act 2004 which banned the hunting of wild mammals (notably foxes, deer and hares) with dogs in England and Wales and a Labour/Liberal Democrat coalition that passed the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002 which did the same in Scotland. 

At least at present, the SNP-led Scottish Government and the Scottish Parliament (other than the Scottish Conservative Party) are a little more progressive in their stance on driven grouse shooting and wildlife crime than the Westminster Parliament but even in Scotland there is so much more that needs to be done.

The killing of legally protected wildlife and the damage to our fragile upland habitats and ecosystems has to end.

It must end.

The UK Government should step up, show leadership, take responsibility and act.

Personally, like many other people across the UK, I would like to see a complete ban on driven grouse shooting across the whole of the UK and replaced by an alternative.

The UK is one of the most nature depleted and degraded nations on Earth. It also has one of the highest concentrations of land in the ownership of a disproportionately small number of people.

We can begin to address at least some of the problem by banning driven grouse shooting and implementing the following actions ....

> the rewilding and restoration of our upland habitats and ecosystems

> the restoration and protection of upland biodiversity

> the opening up of our uplands for public access and the expansion of economically viable, culturally valuable and wildlife friendly ecotourism

> the care and maintenance of upland landscapes plus other natural solutions to lock up carbon in the fight against climate change

Watch this short video .... it is produced by REVIVE and provides a Scottish context but the issues can equally be applied to northern England.

Read this book .... “Inglorious – conflict in the uplands” by Mark Avery which makes the clear scientific and environmental case for banning driven grouse shooting.

💚🦆 🦉🦋🐝🦊🦡🌼 🌳💚
Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature