I should probably point out that I’m a little bit behind with this book as it came out in 2015, but as the issues it covers are still relevant today it seemed still a worthwhile book to read. And it was.
The author, Mark Avery, used to work for the RSPB and was involved in the talks between NGOs and the shooting community (predominantly grouse shooting) on the issue of raptor persecution, which failed to have any results. Now that he’s retired from the RSPB he is less effected by the need for diplomacy and is able to give a more blunt look at the effects of grouse shooting on our countryside. Whilst this book is mainly about the persecution of hen harriers, especially on grouse shooting estates, it does look at the other impacts this one activity with all its upkeep has one the local environment.
To be blunt, I have been against hunting my whole life and feel that it seems a very unpleasant way of having 'fun'. As I’ve gotten older I’ve also become aware of the negative impact this sport is having on the surrounding environment, and the knock on effect this is having on our society as well. I like to have a well formed argument in my head about the decisions I make and the opinions I have and this seemed like a good place to start when it comes to my ideas about grouse shooting.
The book itself feels more like reading a blog then a usual book, but this makes it very easy to read despite all the facts that come out of it. It starts with details about hen harriers, OES through a very quick introduction to grouse shooting, and then goes over the various battles between those in conservation and those in shooting community. It ends with a hopeful idea of how all this would end with a future, fake interview with an ex- gamekeeper. Most interesting for me was to find about the various studies that had occurred on this subject, especially the two Langholm Moor studies on the effects of hen harriers on grouse population size as well as the effect of diversionary feeding of the hen harriers, and the report by the League Against Cruel Sports based on an analysis by Sheffield Hallam University and Cormack Economics on the real financial benefits of grouse shooting.
This book hasn’t changed my mind on grouse shooting as a past time, obviously, but it has definitely helped me solidify my opinions on the activity and why I dislike it. It has also helped to widen the holes in the arguments provided by the grouse shooting estates as to why this should be allowed to continue.
Firstly their argument that it has conservation value, especially for some wader species. However, this looks a bit bland when you compare it to the illegal raptor removal, the legal other predator removal (including large numbers of foxes and stoats), the legal culling of hares as an additional tick carries, and the destruction and burning of habitats to produces ones most suitable for red grouse. The pros most definitely do not out way the cons, and other work can be done to help sustain the numbers of waders we already have without needing to go to these extremes.
The second argument is that they bring needed finances to the areas in which they are located. This is undoubtedly true, however so does tourism and the chance to see hen harriers and golden eagles would definitely be a draw to many people willing to put money into their journey. As the analysis by Sheffield Hallam University and Cormack Economics showed it appears that the grouse shooting estates have overstated the actual size of this financial gain (possibly by as much as four times the actual figure). When this is taken along with the fact that our taxes help pay for a good proportion of the upkeep through subsidies, the cost of the clean up after increased flooding (for which there is a connection with the destruction of peat bogs on grouse shooting estates), and the additional cost that will come from climate change (not helped here by the destruction of, again, peat bogs releasing large amounts of carbon normally stored here) the benefits are pretty small.
At the end of the day it is difficult to see grouse shooting as anything more then just an activity enjoyed by the very (rich) few and which has lead to the reduction or even loss of an number of species, the destruction of vital habitats with some negative impacts on the surrounding communities, and the loss of some amazing landscapes to the general public as a whole. It may be enjoyable for those who get to do it, but Mark Avery can see no real benefit to it and neither can I. Definitely a book worth reading.
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