Memorandum submitted by The British Association
for Shooting and Conservation (BASC)
1. EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
1.1 The UK Government is committed to halting
or reversing the declines in biodiversity by 2010. This target
is unlikely to be met.
1.2 It is now recognised that the biological
effects of climate change are real, and that if wildlife is to
adapt to a changing climate it requires landscape scale conservation
projects, to provide the necessary habitat connectivity.
1.3 BASC has demonstrated through its Green Shoots
programme that people who shoot manage their land in a way that
is beneficial for wildlife, and that shooting takes place over
large areas of the countryside.
1.4 People who shoot are willing to invest
time and resources into the management of their land, but they
require guidance on how to manage for species and habitats of
conservation concern.
1.5 Government support for Green Shoots
is needed to increase biodiversity and facilitate landscape scale
conservation.
2. This report is written by BASC Director
of Conservation, Tim Russell who has 30 years of experience in
environmental and land management issues.
3. BASC is the largest representative organisation
for shooting in the UK with 130,000 members. Our prime interests
are to safeguard shooting sports and to maximise shooting's value
for nature conservation. Managing land for game, waterfowl, deer
and wildlife, means that those who practice shooting sports in
the UK are one of the largest forces for protecting habitat and
the wildlife it supports.
3.1 With over two thirds of the rural land
area shot over, and shooters spending over £250 million on
conservation each year, those who practise shooting sports are
key partners for biodiversity conservation. In July 2000 BASC
launched Green Shoots—The Contribution of Shooting to
Biodiversity in the UK in the Palace of Westminster to show
how BASC responded to the challenge of the CBD and the UK BAP.
It aimed "to recognise, build upon and co-ordinate the shooting
community's considerable contribution to wildlife and biodiversity
conservation."
4. THE GREEN
SHOOTS PROGRAMME
AND HOW
IT WORKS
4.1 BASC supports many Local Biodiversity
Action Plans (LBAPs) through consultation and partnerships. BASC
are now recognised as a stakeholder group that can make a significant
contribution to biodiversity.
4.2 LBAPs can gain access to nature reserves,
public places and school; grounds easily; however, access to privately
held land, where the bulk of biodiversity is found, is a greater
challenge. The shooting community can provide that access. Shooters
will also carry out extensive conservation work to improve their
land.
4.3 BASC agrees a list of biodiversity habitats
and species with LBAP groups, and then asks members to complete
a postal survey, identifying where they shoot, and which of the
key habitats and species are found on their land.
4.4 BASC seeks funding to employ a dedicated
Project Officer to work with our members and LBAPs to increase
habitats and species identified in the survey.
4.5 All increases in biodiversity are recorded
on the Biodiversity Action Recording System (BARS), the Government
approved method of recording biodiversity gain.
5. ACHIEVEMENTS
5.1 The Cheshire Biodiversity Project was
the first local initiative to integrate shooting's conservation
value with a Local BAP. The project is based on a strong partnership
with the Cheshire region Biodiversity Partnership which is responsible
for Cheshire's highly successful Local BAP, called the Countdown
Programme.
5.1.1 Key results:
— Over 690 sq km of land was surveyed by
our members for priority biodiversity species (15) and habitats
(23). This is equivalent to 28% of Cheshire.
— We created a database of our members
who have this access to privately held land.
— We generated more than 7,700 new biological
records which the majority of BASC members (79%) allowed us to
share with our partners, making more than 6,600 available through
record (the Cheshire Biological Record Centre).
5.2 The importance of the records cannot
be overstated; it allowed us to significantly increase the data
held by record on key biodiversity species and habitats such as
reedbeds, heathland, dormice, brown hare, skylark and great crested
newts. In many cases the data provided through BASC more than
doubled or even tripled the number of sites known to have certain
key species and habitats. This is typical of the data collected
in subsequent Green Shoots local projects.
6. The Somerset Levels Project is the second
local biodiversity project resulting from the Green Shoots initiative.
The then English Nature Team covering the Somerset Levels read
Green Shoots and approached BASC to see if a joint project was
possible on the Levels. In 2002 a full-time project officer was
appointed working for BASC, directed by a steering group consisting
of BASC and English Nature, with the Environment Agency joining
in 2005. English Nature was succeeded by Natural England in 2006.
7. Following the success of Green Shoots
in Cheshire and Somerset, FWAG Cymru approached BASC to see if
a similar local project could be run across North Wales. Discussions
soon included the Countryside Council for Wales who were very
supportive, then the Local BAPs across North Wales and, latterly,
the Environment Agency. Green Shoots in North Wales was launched
in September 2004 by Carwyn Jones, Environment Minister for the
Welsh Assembly Government.
7.1 BASC has also completed biodiversity
surveys in Dorset and Northern Ireland.
7.2 Full details of all these projects are
available in the accompanying booklet Green Shoots 2009 included
with this submission.[1]
8. RECOMMENDATIONS
FOR ACTION
8.1 Halting biodiversity loss is high on
the list of priorities for society and government.
8.2 The BASC Green Shoots programme has demonstrated
how, with the right guidance, people who shoot can be directed
to make lasting benefits for wildlife and society as a whole.
8.3 Shooting takes place at the landscape
scale and therefore provides wildlife with the flexibility it
needs to adapt to a changing climate
8.4 Landscape scale conservation projects
support ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, reducing
flood risk and providing food, clean air, water and raw materials.
8.5 Government should provide direct support
to the Green Shoots programme because of the clear benefits it
provides.
8.6 Government should provide direct support
for training to provide conservationists with the skills needed
to manage diverse and complex habitats. This includes training
gamekeepers, shoot managers and deer managers.
8.7 Government should provide direct support
to produce educational materials for schools, which can be delivered
through the National Curriculum, to highlight the conservation
benefit game management brings to the rural landscape and economy.
May 2009
1 Not printed. See www.basc.org.uk Back
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