Grouse Moors Are Not Empty - They’re Thriving: Our Letter to The Guardian

To the Editor,

Mark Cocker’s bleak portrayal of the moor at Combs Moss as a vast emptiness that “stirs a deep melancholy” is not just inaccurate - it’s irresponsible (Country diary: The sense of emptiness in these driven-grouse moors stirs a deep melancholy, 5 July).

Why does he ignore clear, documented evidence of ecological success? The conservation group Moors for the Future describe this special place as “healthy and biodiverse” and that even before it got involved two years ago it had “large areas of habitat in good condition”.

Recent work has focused on re-wetting the peat, reintroducing sphagnum moss and improving flood resilience. Derbyshire Wildlife Trust call the surrounding landscape “a haven for a wide variety of wildlife”. The Peak District National Park Authority also recognises the value of the gamekeeper working on this moor.

One has to ask, was Cocker’s gloom shaped less by birdsong and more by last week’s Westminster debate, where MPs from across the House rejected activists calls to ban driven grouse shooting?

Because whether he likes it or not, driven grouse shooting and the moorland management it supports, is one of the world’s most successful conservation stories. As Mary Colwell, founder of Curlew Action, put it, we must choose between gamekeepers with curlew or no gamekeepers with no curlew.

If Cocker wants to see true deep melancholy, it would be the latter path - a moor without management and without wildlife.

The moor at Combs Moss isn’t dead - it’s a conservation triumph. Let’s give credit where it’s due.

Andrew Gilruth

Chief Executive

The Moorland Association

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