22nd July 2019
The Moorland Association today welcomes the publication of research by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust which looks at the impact of ending grouse moor management on a range of bird species. The GWCT study, which focused on two areas in Southern Scotland, shows that ending grouse moor management risks the decline and possible extinction […]
14th July 2019
Hen Harrier chicks bred on grouse moors in the North of England are ready and raring to go. A satellite- tagged Hen Harrier chick on land managed for grouse shooting in the Yorkshire Dales National Park The eight chicks were born and fledged on two grouse moors within Yorkshire, including three chicks raised in […]
11th July 2019
The Moorland Association today issued an appeal for information concerning a recent incident involving a bird of prey on the Swinton Estate in Yorkshire. The estate was informed on April 5 of a dead Hen Harrier on the estate which was removed for a post-mortem. The bird had been dead for some time and had […]
13th June 2019
Genuine progress has been made and three new general licences released by Defra today are fit for purpose in most circumstances. However significant work still remains regarding protected sites, the leading countryside organisations have said. Representing a range of rural stakeholders, the chief executives of BASC and the Countryside Alliance met environment secretary Michael Gove […]
6th June 2019
The Moorland Association welcomes the announcement today by Natural England that the strict conditions attached to the licence permitting a trial of brood management for hen harriers have been met. Amanda Anderson, Director of the Moorland Association, said: “There is a genuine will among land managers and landowners to ensure the success of the brood […]
4th May 2019
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 […]
23rd April 2019
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. […]
15th March 2019
The High Court in London today issued the result of a judicial review into Natural England’s decision to grant a licence to allow brood management of hen harriers. Amanda Anderson, Director of the Moorland Association: “We are delighted that the judge has upheld the decision by Natural England to licence the testing of brood management […]
18th February 2019
The Moorland Association today welcomed the Government’s support for the important role shooting plays in the conservation of ecologically important habitats. The Government statement was in response to a private petition calling for an independent economic study into the economic benefits of driven grouse shooting. The petition and Defra’s response can be found here: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/226109 Amanda […]
14th February 2019
Over 6,000 days of seasonal employment provided in North Yorkshire Estates within the North Yorkshire Moors Moorland Organisation (NYMMO) are reflecting on the latest grouse season with many hailing it as one that bucked the national trend and local businesses claiming it one of the best on record. The iconic wild red grouse is a […]
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.
Landmark survey reveals moorland birds are thriving A new survey of breeding birds in the Peak District National Park has shown a positive trend in numbers of endangered species. Populations of 16 bird species in the Peak District are up, in contrast to national trends from the UK Government’s State of Nature 2019 report. Out of the 29 species sighted, the numbers […]
Moorland Association respond to RSPB game bird shooting review announcement The Moorland Association, which represents moorland owners and managers in England, today urged the RSPB to be ‘fair and factual’ in the review of game shooting it plans to conduct. Responding to the announcement of the review at the RSPB AGM, Amanda Anderson, director of the Moorland Association, said: “There are hundreds of people within […]
