29th March 2023
The Moorland Association today is encouraged by the Climate Change Committee’s latest adaptation report that highlights for the first time the real threat to life and ecosystems of wildfire in our changed climate. The independent committee also identifies the most effective approach to mitigate the risk. 2022 was a record year for large wildfires in […]
17th February 2023
A group of hill farmers has created a pioneering environmental cooperative to protect against the effects of climate change and boost wildlife, alongside sustainable livestock production. Peakland Environmental Farmers (PEF) has 55 farmers on board, covering over 28,000 hectares of upland in the Peak District National Park. The innovative collective will enable farmers and landowners […]
15th February 2023
A huge peatland restoration project at Howesyke Farm in the Yorkshire Dales has been praised as an example of how to achieve landscape-scale moorland conservation and carbon capture. Experts from Defra and the Environment Agency visited Howesyke Farm, a member of the Moorland Association, to examine the successful peatland restoration work, one of the largest […]
23rd January 2023
Monday, 23 January, 2023: The Moorland Association today welcomed a landmark report on the impact of different land management practices on peatland. Researchers at York University conducting a 20-year study into the effects on peatland of burning, mowing and leaving land unmanaged have published their report at the half-way stage of the project. The report […]
19th December 2022
A six-month in-depth investigation by Defra into allegations of illegal moorland burning has found that moorland managers had not been illegally burning heather on areas of protected deep peat. The time-consuming official investigation followed a wave of allegations from campaigners that extensive areas of grouse moor were being set on fire on deep peat and […]
15th November 2022
Following publication of the RSPB bird crime report today, the Moorland Association has issued the following statement: We unreservedly condemn any form of wildlife crime. We have a zero-tolerance policy of raptor persecution. Government, land owners, charities and game shooting organisations are all committed to stamping out illegal raptor killing and work together positively to […]
8th November 2022
Peak District land managers are warning of the dangers of disease carried by ticks after a surge in the number reported this autumn. Ticks are small blood-sucking arachnids which live in areas of grassland, moorland, forest and even in parks and gardens. They feed on livestock, deer, birds, mice, horses, pets and humans. Ticks carry […]
13th September 2022
The Moorland Association and its members, who care for nearly a million acres of cherished heather moorland are, like the rest of the country, observing the period of national mourning as we reflect on the life of Queen Elizabeth ll. Her Majesty’s unparalleled devotion to duty, warmth and selfless service to the nation have been […]
8th September 2022
The Moorland Association is highlighting game keepers’ year-round conservation efforts for a wide variety of moorland species. Now the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation has created a new video showing how experts from the British Trust for Ornithology, Foxglove Covert Local Nature Reserve in North Yorkshire and gamekeepers work together to monitor merlin on managed grouse […]
26th August 2022
The Moorland Association today welcomes news of a further increase in successful breeding by Hen Harriers in England, with 75 per cent of nests on grouse moors. Natural England reports that 119 chicks have fledged from nests in the north of England – a record number and the highest figure for 100 years. This is […]
75% of Europe’s remaining upland heather moorland is found in the UK – 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.
RECORD HIGH FOR HEN HARRIER POPULATION IN ENGLAND Figures released today by Natural England show another rise in the population of Hen Harriers in England, with 141 chicks fledging successfully this year. This increase is nearly a further fifth from last year’s 119 chicks which was the highest number for a century. The data marks a decade of population growth for this very […]
Can using fire help protect our beautiful heather moors? There are many misconceptions about the way moorland is managed to help red grouse and other ground-nesting birds to nest and fledge their chicks successfully. Controlled burning has been carried out for generations for improving grazing, but the association between heather burning and grouse shooting means that campaigners constantly seek to portray it as […]
