Latest news with #WildlifeManagementandMuirburnAct2024
STV News
7 days ago
- Business
- STV News
Rural businesses praised for ‘extraordinary' help with wildfires, report says
A report has praised rural businesses for their involvement in tackling the recent spate of large wildfires that have devastated parts of Scotland's countryside. Scottish Land & Estates (SLE) published the report on Thursday, which examines the wildfires near Carrbridge and Dava in the Scottish Highlands. The report says 11,827 hectares of moorland were ravaged by the fires in late June. Prepared at the request of Scottish Government officials, the report says extensive resources, manpower and expertise were contributed by at least 33 businesses, including 27 estates. The collective value of specialist firefighting equipment deployed by private land managers is conservatively estimated at £3.1m, with more than 100 employees engaged in the containment effort. PA Media Ross Ewing, director of moorland at SLE, said: 'The Carrbridge and Dava wildfires represent the largest such event in Scotland's history and without the extraordinary intervention of rural businesses, the scale of devastation would have been even greater. 'These land managers brought not only equipment and personnel, but also essential knowledge of the terrain and fire behaviour, much of it honed through generations of safe muirburn practice. Their contribution should be commended, supported and learned from.' The report also says there are gaps in the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service's (SFRS) wildfire response capability, and makes a series of recommendations. They include investment in a fleet of at least 50 SFRS all-terrain vehicles equipped with fogging units, enhanced authority for SFRS commanders to deploy aerial support quickly, urgent improvements in wildfire training and communications for frontline crews, and the establishment of a Scotland-wide integrated fire management strategy. The report also highlights that the licensing framework for muirburn, as introduced through the Wildlife Management and Muirburn Act 2024, could reduce the ability of land managers to conduct fuel load management – a key factor in wildfire prevention. Mr Ewing said: 'If we make it harder for skilled land managers to carry out preventative muirburn, we risk losing the very infrastructure and capability that helped contain these fires. 'Under the recent legislation, there is a 'necessity' test regarding use of muirburn on peatland, and a presumption in favour of other vegetation control methods. 'By amending this to an appropriateness test, it would allow this vital practice of muirburn to be carried out more freely while simultaneously retaining licensed regulatory oversight by government agencies.' Mr Ewing added: 'The Scottish Government must treat these wildfires as a watershed moment. 'That means urgent investment in firefighting infrastructure, better co-ordination between public agencies and rural communities, and a policy environment that empowers land managers, rather than penalising them, for playing their part. 'Without the courage and commitment of those who stepped up during this crisis, the outcome would have been far worse. We owe them our thanks and we owe them action.' Agriculture and connectivity minister Jim Fairlie said: 'We fully understand the concerns over wildfires. Keepers were a massive help to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service in bringing the recent wildfires under control, and we know estates used their own equipment to help in those efforts. 'That practical help and experience is greatly appreciated by the Scottish Government, as are the views of the wider stakeholder groups who helped to inform our policy decisions as we progressed the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024. 'During the passage of that Act, we recognised the importance of muirburn in creating firebreaks to help tackle wildfires in some circumstances and the new muirburn licensing scheme allows muirburn for that purpose. 'The Scottish Government is working with SFRS to support full implementation of its wildfire strategy, which will see the continued rollout this year of new equipment, vehicles and personal protective equipment. 'I am grateful to SFRS, the Scottish Gamekeepers Association, and others for their outstanding efforts to keep property and people safe and for taking the time to meet with me this week to reflect on lessons we can learn for future incidents.' SFRS was approached for comment. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Daily Record
23-04-2025
- Daily Record
Sparrowhawk shot dead in Inverness as police launch probe
Animal welfare officers said the protected bird suffered a "painful" and "drawn-out" death. A wildlife probe is underway after a Sparrowhawk was fatally shot in Inverness. The grim discovery was made by a member of the public in the Cradlehall area of the city on March 6. A report was made to RSPB Scotland after the male bird of prey was found lying dead on the ground. Officers from Police Scotland and RSPB collected the bird's body before sending it for testing to establish its cause of death. A post-mortem was carried out and a bullet was discovered lodged in the bird's chest. It was concluded that the animal had been shot with a shotgun. It added that the bird could have died some distance from where it was shot, before later dying from an infection and starvation as a result of the shooting. Animal welfare officers said the bird would have had a "drawn-out" and "painful" death. The illegal shooting of the bird is the latest in a spree of cruel wildlife crimes in Scotland. In May last year, a buzzard was found to have endured 'significant unnecessary suffering' after being shot near an estate in Perthshire. The shotgun blast 'caused fracture of the lower leg bone' meaning the buzzard 'died slowly as a result of the leg wound and secondary infection', post-mortem analysis found. Two months later, a dead golden eagle was found in a bag with body parts cut off close to Loch Rusky, near Stirling. And in April, a red kite was found dead in Sutherland poisoned with lethal banned pesticide Carbofuran, a quarter-teaspoonful of which can kill a person. All incidents occurred after MSPs passed new wildlife legislation supposed to tackle the persecution of birds of prey. The Wildlife Management and Muirburn Act 2024 was aimed at regulating grouse moors and stopping rogue gamekeepers from killing birds of prey to boost numbers of gamebirds for shooting on estates. Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, all wild birds are legally protected in the UK. It means anyone found to have killed or injured a bird of prey faces an unlimited fine or even jail. Police Scotland are appealing to anyone with information in connection with this shooting to come forward. Ian Thomson, RSPB Scotland's Head of Investigations, said: 'Sparrowhawks are one of the birds of prey you or I are most likely to encounter, as they live alongside us in parks and gardens. They hunt small birds by stealth and can be identified by their brilliantly piercing yellow eyes. "The presence of Sparrowhawks and other birds of prey is a good indicator of a healthy and balanced ecosystem. This bird was shot with a shotgun, resulting in a drawn-out and painful death. Few people have access to such weapons, with even fewer motivated to shoot at protected birds of prey. We ask that if anyone has information about this incident, to please get in touch with Police Scotland or ourselves.' Teams at Thomas Plant, Bea Ayling and Shona Rüesch of the Inverness Urban Sparrowhawk Project, have been studying the Sparrowhawk population in Inverness since 2020. They said: 'We are absolutely devastated to hear that someone has shot one of these beautiful and majestic birds: one we may have been monitoring this year here in Inverness. As part of our voluntary monitoring we have been checking nest sites and colour-ringing Sparrowhawks (with support and funding from the Highland Raptor Study Group (HRSG)). We hope that this will help to improve understanding of the local Sparrowhawk population, their movements, lifespans and the threats that they face.' If you have any information relating to this incident, call Police Scotland on 101 quoting reference number CR/0132125/25.
