News

ENGLISH NATURE’S CHIEF EXECUTIVE ADDRESSES MOORLAND ASSOCIATION

12th November 2002

Dr. Andy Brown, Acting Chief Executive of English Nature, addressed the Moorland Association Committee and membership at their autumn meeting at the Walshford Bridge Hotel near Weatherby on 12th November 2002. He was accompanied by Mr Martyn Howatt.

Dr Brown structured his talk around an action plan contained in the Joint Memorandum of Understanding, which had been signed by both parties in June this year (see press release 25 June 2002). He looked forward to successful collaboration in conserving and improving our upland heritage.

English Nature have been charged by Government, through a Public Service Agreement, to bring 95% of the Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) across England, covering some 2.5 million acres, into ‘Favourable Condition’ by 2010. One fifth of this area (about 500,000 acres) comprises heather moorland managed for grouse, and its SSSI designation is a credit to past management. English Nature will soon be surveying all SSSIs against defined criteria to assess their condition, and monitoring will then continue to judge the success of remedial work.

Dr Brown told the meeting that English Nature staff were currently refining the condition assessment criteria with their corresponding bodies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Moorland Association, along with the Game Conservancy Trust, the National Gamekeepers’ Association and the Heather Trust have been invited to peer review the criteria before they are applied on the ground. These bodies will be able to give guidance on the diverse range of habitats found across grouse moors, and they should also help in applying an essentially paper-based set of criteria to a living habitat, without penalising good management practice.

The same bodies have also been invited to help define best burning practice on heather moorland, and it is planned that demonstration projects and pilot sites will be established to examine environmental impacts of burning. Similar studies are planned to study the effects of overgrazing and the benefits and shortfalls of English Nature’s Wildlife Enhancement Scheme.

The advice of grouse moor owners who have experience of regenerating heather moorland will be sought to help and advise on other Upland SSSI’s not managed for grouse that are in very poor habitat condition.

The two bodies will work towards the implementation of all Raptor Working Group recommendations relating to grouse moors, and in particular will seek to develop legal management practices that will reduce any impact of birds of prey on red grouse.

English Nature and The Moorland Association will thoroughly review the policies effecting favourable moorland management and influence changes that will have long-term sustainable benefits including: the proposed mid-term agri-environment schemes reform, the Hill Farm Allowance scheme, overgrazing rules, Common Land Legislation changes and the implementation of the Sheep Quota Purchase Scheme.
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