26th March 2015
Caitlin Bisknell
A MAJOR wildlife and walking magnet which has seen substantial conservation investment has been endorsed by a prominent politician.
Leader of High Peak Borough Council and Labour’s prospective MP for the area, Caitlin Bisknell has been on a fact-finding visit to 2,000 acres of internationally protected heath in Glossop.
Extensive planting has seen 25,000 new native trees at Mossy Lea Farm, extending along Shelf Brook, the original source of water power for early industry.
Hosting many thousands of ramblers and some of the country’s prized fauna and flora, the area plays a key role in the local economy, Cllr Bisknell was told.
She heard how grouse shooting was essential for protecting globally important moorland and rural jobs.
Caitlin Bisknell with Mossy Lea shoot organiser, Thomas Kier
Mossy Lea shoot organiser, Thomas Kier, explained that sporting interests represented major land-use in the Peak District, employing some 50 people, with the number burgeoning to up to 500 in the grouse season.
He added: “We have 700 acres of heather moorland, which is rarer than rainforest and our 700 acres of blanket bog are vital for carbon storage and protecting water quality. Where over-grazed grasses predominate, we are working with Natural England to reinstate heathland shrubs.
“We’re in the Peak District National Park, the Pennine Way is on our eastern boundary and the original Glossop/Sheffield pack-horse route cuts across the farm.
“Obviously, this is a magnet for walkers and wildlife enthusiasts, who can enjoy some of the country’s finest and most endangered birds.
“The shooting interest promotes extensive management by gamekeepers, preserving this remarkable land and its habitats. Otherwise, it would be degraded to over-grazed dry grassland or revert to scrub highly susceptible to wildfire. Treasured moors lost forever.”
Cllr Bisknell said she was impressed by the high levels of care for precious countryside enjoyed by so many people.
She added: “Almost all the heath is designated for special scientific interest, conservation and protection. Clearly, a great deal of work is being carried out with national agencies on a raft of important measures.
“This is good news not just for the local economy, but for all those who walk here and enjoy the remarkable wildlife.”
The UK has 75 percent of what is left of Europe’s upland heather moorland. Nationally, grouse moor owners spend £52.5 million a year on its conservation.
Many at risk bird species do well on the carefully managed landscapes, including lapwing, golden plover, ring ouzel, merlin and curlew.
Hen harrier chicks were fledged on Derbyshire moorland managed by gamekeepers in 2014. They were among the first recorded in England for two years, but died due to predation and other natural causes.
