Community spirit
Those undertaking land management for shooting might best be described as the ever-present but silent majority in the conservation sector. Shooting ploughs nearly £250m into conservation projects annually, be it planting and managing woodland, copses or hedgerows, growing cover crops or improving wetlands and ponds.
The workforce – gamekeepers and land managers – undertake their work diligently and behind the scenes. Unlike their charitable, land-managing counterparts, their work is funded privately. Donations and fundraisers are unrequired and so is the subsequent press coverage needed by the third sector.
“Gamekeepers can now go toe-to-toe with conservation bodies”
Unfortunately, increased lobbying by those who wish to see grouse shooting restricted has left gamekeepers in the lurch, with some practices dragged into the political arena by those who think they can manage the land in a better and more cost-efficient manner. Prescribed burning and predator control are obvious
