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Time is running out to respond to Defra’s consultation on heather and grass burning. The deadline is 25th May, and it’s vital that those who understand the uplands - the people who live, work, and manage this land - make their voices heard.

Natural England’s recent evidence review on heather burning was presented as a definitive scientific update. Instead, it stands as a case study in how selective methodology, excluded expertise, and misrepresented findings can produce a flawed and unbalanced document.

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

These frequently asked questions are taken from the scientific paper: Ten years on from a predator removal experiment in the English uplands: Changes in numbers of ground-nesting birds and predators.

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.

Another spate of wildfires over the weekend, including one that has destroyed 12,500 acres of land on Dartmoor, highlights the growing concern over the risk of wildfires as dry conditions persist.

Hot spotting is the process of pouring a huge amount of water onto smouldering ground fires - often peat soils that have been ignited by slow burning fine fuels very close to the ground.

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

Ever wondered what it's like on a moorland fire? It's hot, smokey, noisy, scary, dehydrating, energy zapping and sometimes dangerous.

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 video taken by a gamekeeper shows the difference between wildfires and controlled burns on moorland.

The Moorland Association has prepared its draft response to Defra’s consultation on Heather and Grass Burning in England. While our first and strongest recommendation is that this consultation be paused, we’ve also made sure to respond in full should the Government press ahead.