HOPE IN THE HILLS
Heather moorlands are among our most beautiful, blissful landscapes. They are precious habitats, home not only to the red grouse of sporting legend, but also to a host of increasingly endangered wildlife. Upland waders, curlew, lapwing and golden plover are increasingly beleaguered, but all thriving where heather habitats are managed. With skylarks ringing up through the air, it is hard to imagine that these hills can be anything other than places of peace. But they are now a battleground, over which conflict rages between very different ideas of wildlife management and models of human involvement. Those involved in active moorland management are a beleaguered group, and the wildlife under their care increasingly under threat.
“Most people want to do the right thing to protect wildlife - we’re here to help them.”
But there is hope, even in these trying times.
