The Scottish Government should enlist gamekeeper student task forces to help save red-listed species such as curlew from extinction.
That is the view of The Scottish Gamekeepers Association (SGA), which claims September’s State of Nature report demonstrates an urgent need for new conservation approaches.
Populations of curlew have crashed by 61 per cent in Scotland since the 1990s, escalating extinction fears, with an estimated 15 per cent of the world’s population breeding on uplands and shores.
The Scottish Government has an international duty to protect curlew through the UK’s status as a signatory to the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement.
A number of scientific papers have drawn positive correlations between responsible management for game birds, gamekeeper density and increased breeding productivity in curlew.
Scotland’s gamekeeping body believes the government should now use the skill-sets of its industry’s emerging young people to help rescue critical populations.
By working in tandem with the SGA and Scotland’s gamekeeping course providers, the Scottish Government could enlist national certificate students for curlew conservation projects, says the SGA, adding it would also help support new green jobs and assist in the quest to bridge rural skills gaps.
“There is a snobbery in conservation that it is only something that can be done by certain types and bodies. However, there are land managers in Scotland carrying out practical conservation every day as a secondary spin-off to their day job that are getting positive results and outcomes that are often better,” said Kyle Stewart, SGA committee member and, himself, a former award-winning gamekeeping student.
“Science tells us game management techniques can translate directly across to practical conservation, often with good outcomes. Why not use this more to benefit these keystone species in severe decline?
“Youngsters at our colleges today are already learning the skills that can make a difference. Why not tap into that, with ‘practicals’ on conservation projects to help us out of the nature emergency?
“By putting faith in our young people, Scottish Government can further develop skills and support green jobs. They can help shape the gamekeepers and land managers of the future,” he added.
Gamekeepers leaders believe the Scottish Government needs to look within the existing rural workforce to help find solutions.
“The State of Nature report shows 11 per cent of species are at risk of extinction despite the Scottish Government paying millions annually to the traditional conservation non-government organisations, and others, often to do the same thing over and over. Conservation has become: spend, media opportunity, walk away.
“That type of approach has failed. It is time to re-draw the narrow boundaries of what conservation is and think out of the box,” said gamekeeper and SGA committee member Steven Hague.