9th August 2017
A pioneering initiative between grouse moors and conservation bodies is set to transform the health of the nation’s peatland – a prized environmental landscape. Restoring and enhancing the UK’s deep peat is fundamental to the future of the UK’s environment as it plays a major role in carbon storage, flood alleviation and the provision of […]
4th August 2017
Last week saw Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon, take part in an informative outing on to Middlesmoor in the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Beauty. The MP, who is also Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Commons, was briefed by local gamekeepers and estate owners on a wide range of issues associated with […]
23rd June 2017
Thursday 15th June saw a diverse group of stakeholders visit Wemmergill Estate to enjoy an informative day up on the moor and witness a variety of moorland management techniques in action. Representatives from Natural England, North Pennines AONB and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) UK Peatland Programme joined Wemmergill Estate staff […]
6th June 2017
The Moorland Association welcomes the new research by the University of Glasgow into the impact of high deer numbers and Lyme disease, which affects both humans and animals. The research revealed that the correlation is indeed positive despite previous arguments that it was conservation activities such as woodland planting which has increased the risk of […]
15th May 2017
The Moorland Association warmly welcomes the news that regional moorland groups are boosting awareness of ongoing peatland restoration work across the North of England. As summer approaches and the weather improves more families venture out to the countryside. Gamekeepers from a variety of regional moorland groups are now encouraging the public to learn more about […]
10th April 2017
The Moorland Association marks the very sad death of former Director General and Director of Research of GWCT, Dick Potts. Dick Potts was born in 1939 to a farming family in North Yorkshire. From an early age, he took a keen interest in wildlife and he studied zoology at Durham University, where he specialised […]
15th March 2017
The Moorland Association welcomes continuing debate about heather burning and the opportunity to present the facts and address misconceptions. An article in the Shooting Times by retired head gamekeeper Lindsay Waddell, a former chairman of the National Gamekeepers Organisation ably describes the consequences of a ban on heather burning (‘Upland Keeper’, Wednesday 15th March). However, […]
9th March 2017
The campaign to ensure a brighter future for England’s uplands marches on. Recently, over 80 people gathered from across the north of England at Newton Rigg College, Penrith under the banner of the Uplands Alliance. The purpose was to discuss building a future for the Northern Uplands post Brexit. The outcomes from the January meeting […]
1st February 2017
THE Moorland Association’s director, Amanda Anderson, welcomed information given to EFRA that painted a clear picture of the important role played by shooting communities in bolstering rural economies, adding grouse shooting alone was worth £15 million to local businesses. Revenue generated by shooting is a “vital source of income” for rural […]
17th January 2017
NEWS that Andrew Sells has been reappointed chairman of Natural England (NE) has been warmly welcomed by The Moorland Association members. Chairman Robert Benson said he was delighted and looked forward to continuing working closely with Mr Sells during his next three years in office. He added: “We are indebted to Andrew’s invaluable and unstinting […]
75% of of the world’s remaining heather moorland is found in Britain – but this area declined alarmingly over the latter part of the last century. The Moorland Association was set up in 1986 to coordinate the efforts of moorland owners and managers to halt this loss, particularly in England and Wales.
Moorland Association says Gove intervention on general licences chaos a ‘bold step in the right direction’ The Moorland Association today welcomed the intervention of Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, over the general licences fiasco that is endangering a range of threatened bird species. Mr Gove has temporarily assumed power to grant licences and has agreed to undertake an urgent evidence review of the decision that […]
MOORLAND ASSOCIATION DISMAYED BY NATURAL ENGLAND BAN ON GENERAL LICENCES The Moorland Association issued the following statement today in response to the announcement by Natural England that it is revoking three general licences for controlling certain predatory birds as of Thursday 25th April 2019. General licences permit land managers to control common birds in order to conserve a range of threatened ground nesting bird populations. […]
