A WAR of words has broken out between two charities over the fate of rare bird species the hen harrier.
The Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) claims Scottish Government data shows the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is four times less successful with hen harrier breeding than other land managers.
It stated: “While half of hen harriers building nests on non-RSPB land bred successfully, on RSPB reserves it was down to one in eight. Yet despite the diverging success rates the RSPB has persistently blamed other land managers for the species’ decline.”
The trust says field sports (in particular shooting and fishing) can contribute substantially to the conservation of landscape, habitat and wildlife, arguing that “humane and targeted predator control is an essential part of effective game and wildlife conservation.”
Scotland has 252 hen harrier nests compared to seven in England, with nests on RSPB land accounting for 37 of the Scottish total. Just five of those 37 were “successful” in 2017, compared to 114 “successful” nests on non-RSPB land.
Andrew Gilruth of the GWCT said: “The RSPB receives substantial taxpayer funds to support hen harriers. Yet where it matters – on RSPB reserves – the breeding success of hen harriers is falling behind. I am sure taxpayers would like an explanation.
“The increasing failure rate of hen harrier nests on RSPB reserves may be because there are a lot of foxes raiding the nests. The hard choice for the RSPB is between fatter foxes or more hen harriers. You can’t have both.”
The RSPB has long maintained that the real culprits are those who kill hen harriers illegally.
In a strongly worded reply, the RSPB’s Director of Conservation Martin Harper said: “This is another sadly predictable attempt to deflect attention from the real reason for the decline of the hen harrier, continuing illegal persecution.
“The sooner GWCT and others in the shooting industry stop turning a blind eye and help address these crimes, the sooner this magnificent bird can return to its breeding sites across the uplands of the UK.”
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