Wildlife Estates There is so much good work going on with WES across the country that the European Wildlife Estates conference is being held in Scotland in 2020. This will see hundreds of delegates from across Europe gather to hear about good practice, integrated land use and how a programme that set out to target sporting estates is now a crucial part of land management on farms, estates, campsites and other landholdings. Chairman of WES and national delegate for the Wildlife Estates label, Dee Ward, who himself owns a sporting estate in the Angus Glens which has been accredited since 2015, sums up: “While there has to be a commercial aspect to managing
the land, there is plenty of space for nature too. As a landowner I recognise that the time has come to really push our management approaches to integrate with natural cycles and WES is an excellent mechanism by which to illustrate our efforts.” FIND OUT MORE If you would like to find out more about WES, please visit www. scottishlandandestates.co.uk/ wildlife-estates-scotland or contact me at caroline.pringle@ wildlife-estates.co.uk For beautiful photos, news and updates, you can follow WES on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Testimonial from WES Level 2 Accredited Estate “Glenbervie Estate is unique in many ways, given its importance in our wider manufacturing business, but that has not diminished our commitment to following the best principles of land management. The award of WES accreditation is significant testament to those who have balanced our conservation goals with the demands of a demanding farming and forestry enterprise. We encourage best practice in all the different aspects of estate management but the accreditation scheme encourages us to not only set higher goals, but also ensure we record and can amply demonstrate the excellent work that is already being undertaken.” Alastair Macphie, Glenbervie Estate
Testimonial from WES Level 2 Accredited Estate “The award of WES accreditation is significant testament to the hard work of all the staff across the estate. We encourage best practice in all the different aspects of estate management, but the accreditation scheme encourages us to not only set higher goals but also ensure we record and can amply demonstrate the excellent work that is already being undertaken. The conservation and habitat projects we’ve been working on have been hugely beneficial to both the estate and to local wildlife and we’re delighted a scheme such as WES can help us document what we have been doing” Roddy Jackson, Factor, Roxburghe Estates
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By Scottish Gamekeepers Association Chairman, Alex Hogg For some time, the SGA Deer Group has been working hard on a new Vision for deer and deer management in Scotland. After a lot of discussion, we are very close to announcing the results of our labours. There is an acknowledgement, across the board, that significant progress has been made at deer management group level. However, the men and women doing the hard work on the ground in Scotland have some concerns about how the status of an iconic animal is being eroded. Deer in Scotland, today, are hardly ever in peace. The rise in recreational activity, with more and more walkers and mountain bikers, is certainly welcomed in some quarters but the cold fact is that deer are moving into new areas as they seek refuge. Furthermore, the increasing reliance on out-of-season deer control licences from SNH and night authorisations for managing deer, particularly in forestry, is changing the way our native deer species
behave. Targeted all year round and increasingly at night, deer are rarely out of sight. In order to find peace, they are using already depleted body reserves. Those reliant on night and out of season licences don’t like to talk about animal welfare but, in our view, constant targeting and stress can’t do anything else but take its toll on deer health. There were studies done on this in Denmark which bear this out. In 2017/2018, night shot deer numbered 21, 861. That is a staggering statistic. Remember, some countries do not allow night shooting of deer for welfare reasons. Our Deer Vision, when it is announced, will be exactly that: an aspiration for how we feel deer should be managed in Scotland. It is not jargonladen. It is the views of the men and women who have culled over a million deer in the last decade. And it recognises that, while deer require evidence-based management, they are also a national asset deserving of respect.
www.scottishgamekeepers.co.uk Scottish Gamekeepers Association, Inveralmond Business Centre. 6 Auld Bond Road, South Inveralmond, Perth, PH1 3FX. Tel: 01738 587515