Research Paper Summaries

Drawing on recent reports and research, we explore how the financial burden of wildfires is calculated and what figures we might anticipate under future conditions.

A new academic report has underlined the critical role that gamekeepers play in protecting England’s upland landscapes - particularly in preventing wildfires, conserving wildlife, and supporting local economies.

Research shows a dramatic fall in Black Grouse numbers across southern Scotland over the last 30 years - and highlights the importance of large, well-managed moorland to their survival.

Controlled burning of heather on UK moorlands is often used to support red grouse management, but its effects on peatland health are frequently questioned.

A crucial study reveals the sobering reality of what happens to ground-nesting bird populations when predators are not controlled.

Over the past century, parts of the British uplands have seen a steep decline in heather moorland - a globally rare habitat important for wildlife, rural heritage, and field sports.

This study from Scotland looked closely at how prescribed burning - known as muirburn - relates to wildfires across the country.

A recent study revisited a predator control experiment in North Northumberland that had taken place in the early 2000s. It looked at what happened to ground-nesting birds when legal predator control stopped - and the results are sobering.

This blog post examines an 8-year field experiment conducted on moorland in northern England.

The Berwyn is constantly changing. A detailed study, spanning several decades, looked at these changes.

A recently commissioned report by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) for Natural England looked into this puzzle.