MA Responds to Rural Economy Inquiry: Making the Case for Working Uplands

The future of the rural economy is being discussed in Westminster, and the Moorland Association has made sure moorland managers and upland communities are part of it.

We have submitted evidence to the Labour Rural Research Group’s call for evidence on the future of the rural economy.

The LRRG is a group of Labour MPs from rural and semi-rural seats. It is preparing a report on what rural areas need between now and 2040, including support for jobs, businesses, services, housing, skills and long-term investment.

We wanted to make sure the work our members do every day was properly understood: managing habitats, reducing wildfire risk, supporting local jobs, maintaining access and investing in remote rural areas.

Our central point is simple: the uplands are not empty landscapes. They are working rural places.

Too often, debates about nature, climate and land use treat looking after the environment as something separate from the rural economy. In the uplands, they are closely linked.

The same keepers, farmers, shepherds, contractors, estate staff and rural businesses that support local employment are also the people carrying out practical conservation work: managing vegetation, restoring peat, maintaining tracks, supporting grazing systems, monitoring wildlife, reducing wildfire risk and maintaining public access.

That is why we argued that active upland management must be seen as a vital part of the rural economy.

Why we made a submission

This matters because decisions being taken now will shape the future of the uplands for decades.

Government is asking rural landscapes to do more: restore nature, store carbon, support public access, reduce wildfire risk, manage water and attract private investment into the countryside.

The Moorland Association supports ambitious work for nature and climate, but it must be based on what works in practice.

If land-based businesses cannot survive, the people and skills needed to do this work will be lost. Once that happens, they are very hard to replace.

Gamekeepers, shepherds, farmers, contractors, estate staff and rural trades are not an optional extra. They are the people who know the land and do the work on the ground.

Our submission warns that even well-meaning policy can weaken the very businesses and skills that government needs. If active management is pushed out, the work still has to be done. But it is then more likely to depend on public money, outside organisations and short-term projects.

We made the case for a more practical approach: one that keeps people, skills, businesses and decision-making rooted in the landscapes they are expected to sustain.

The key points in our submission

1. Moorland management supports jobs and local businesses

Grouse moor management in England supports more than 1,500 full-time posts, creates around 42,500 work days each year and contributes about £67.7 million annually to the economy. That does not just mean keepers and estate staff. It also supports contractors, hotels, pubs, accommodation providers, rural trades, machinery suppliers, transport operators, game dealers and seasonal workers. In many remote areas, this activity helps keep small businesses going and supports year-round rural employment.

2. Conservation depends on people being on the land

Peatland restoration, habitat management, wildfire prevention, species recovery, monitoring and access maintenance all need skilled people, local knowledge, equipment and regular presence on the ground. These skills cannot be recreated quickly if they are lost. The point is simple: practical conservation work depends on viable rural businesses and a skilled upland workforce.

3. Rural businesses face higher costs

Running a business in the uplands is more expensive and more difficult than many people realise. Poor roads, limited public transport, weak broadband, patchy mobile signal, high fuel costs, sparse services and long travel distances all add cost and complexity. This affects estates, farms, contractors, hospitality businesses and rural workers. It also affects the ability to deliver conservation, access and wildfire prevention work.

4. New nature schemes must support working landscapes

Carbon, biodiversity and nature schemes could bring welcome investment into the uplands. But they must support local jobs, active management and long-term care for the land. They should not encourage absentee ownership, speculative land buying or schemes that remove existing rural livelihoods. New environmental funding should strengthen working landscapes, not push people and businesses off the land.

5. Wildfire prevention must be taken seriously

Wildfire is one of the biggest risks facing the uplands. Vegetation management, trained local staff, access tracks, water points, equipment and good working relationships with Fire and Rescue Services all help reduce that risk. Wildfire prevention should be treated as a core part of land management, not as an afterthought.

6. The upland workforce is essential

Gamekeepers, moorland managers, shepherds and contractors hold practical knowledge that cannot easily be replaced. They understand weather, vegetation, access routes, fire behaviour, grazing, wildlife and the day-to-day condition of the land. We believe that rural skills, apprenticeships and housing for rural workers should recognise the importance of this workforce.

7. Decisions should be made closer to the ground

We also made clear that decisions about the uplands should involve the people who manage them. Land managers, farmers, commoners where relevant, and local councils should have a real say in local plans. Public bodies such as Natural England, the Environment Agency, Fire and Rescue Services, National Parks and National Landscapes (AONBs), should support that process with advice and expertise. The aim should be simple: better decisions, based on local knowledge, practical experience and clear results.

Our central message

The uplands can make a major contribution to rural jobs, nature recovery, climate resilience, public access and wildfire prevention by 2040. But that will only happen if active moorland management is recognised as part of the answer.

We will keep making the case for working uplands: for rural communities, for the environment and for the long-term future of the landscapes our members manage.

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