Use of dogs to control foxes and other wild mammals: Scottish Government consultation

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The Scottish Government is seeking views via a consultation on proposals to strengthen the law relating to the use of dogs to hunt and flush foxes and other wild mammals in Scotland. The proposals include the possibility of implementing a licence…

Give wild salmon a break this Christmas

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You've probably been giving some thought to what you will put on your table this Christmas. For many, this festive line-up typically includes farmed salmon. However, by making this choice you are supporting an industry that endangers wild…

Scottish soccer team shoots for success

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A junior football team based in Perthshire has swapped shooting for gaols for shooting at clays. The Crieff Juniors 2008 squad visited Gleneagles Shooting and Fishing School for an afternoon of clay shooting hosted by the British Association…

Landmark report reveals the impact of gamebird releasing

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With millions of pheasants and partridges released into the countryside each year, what impact are they having? That’s the question answered in a landmark report from leading conservation charity the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust…

Wader conservation at Auchnerran

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By Dave Parish, GWCT Head of Scottish Lowland Research The plight of waders breeding in the UK is well known. All of our familiar species are in serious decline and we hear frequent warnings about local extinctions for some of them. Undoubtedly…

RSPB loses hen harrier judicial review

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The Court of Appeal has dismissed legal challenges by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and its former conservation director Mark Avery into Natural England’s research into hen harrier brood management. The court confirmed…

Avian influenza prevention zone declared across Great Britain

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Following a number of detections of avian influenza in wild birds across Great Britain, the Chief Veterinary Officers from England, Scotland and Wales have declared an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) across the whole of Great Britain…

Treasure Your River

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A co-ordinated campaign, created by award-winning environmental organisation Hubbub and supported by the Coca-Cola Foundation has resulted in the Treasure Your River project – a working group of litter-busting organisations across the UK. Among…

Woodcock Conservation on the Shoot

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Written by Mike Swan, GWCT Head of Education The cry “Woodcock” gets everyone on the shoot excited, and no wonder, we are all fascinated by this elusive and enigmatic bird. We may consider it a game bird, but really it is a wader, more…

Regulatory burden on shooting needs resetting

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‘Microregulation’ of shooting is being prioritised over crucial restoration and enhancement projects, according to a new paper by leading rural and shooting organisations. Published by the Aim to Sustain partnership the white paper,…