The Moorland Balance - Second Edition

Get the science behind grouse shooting and moorland management

Paperback, 134 pages.

Building on the success of the first edition, this new and improved version (published September 2019) condenses thousands of pages of scientific literature into easy-to-read questions and answers.

Over 200 different studies from across the scientific community are referenced in this 134-page book – making it over twice the size of its predecessor. There are extended sections on heather burning, mountain hare and raptors, featuring all the latest findings.

The future of grouse shooting and management of our moorlands have never been more hotly debated. Make sure you have the facts that matter and get a fully-informed, balanced picture of what years of research tells us about moorland management.

Our aim, and the intention of this book, is to present the scientific research so that the discussion is led by evidence rather than emotion. The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust is well placed to help inform this debate. For over 80 years we have been researching and developing game and wildlife management techniques and have had 135 scientific papers published in peer-reviewed journals on issues relating to upland ecology over the past 46 years.

This research is used to provide advice to such statutory bodies as Defra, Scottish Natural Heritage and Natural England and practical advice and guidance to farmers and landowners. This work is rarely done in isolation. It is possible because of our strong working relationship with other organisations, be it leading universities or other conservation bodies such as the British Trust for Ornithology, the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and the RSPB.

As such, the 229 references that support the information within this book aren’t just from the GWCT. We have drawn from all the leading literature published on the subjects listed in order to provide a fully-informed, balanced picture of what years of research tells us about moorland management.

There are, as in every field, still questions that need to be answered. Our research continues to further public understanding of how the British countryside is managed and long may that continue. We hope that this book serves to answer the pressing issues facing our uplands and encourages a more well-informed discussion about its future.