The evidence shows that the Defra recovery plan for hen harriers has boosted the species population so much that both of its Special Protection Areas (Forest of Bowland and North Pennines) hit favourable condition last year, in accordance with the parameters set out by Natural England. This year’s adverse weather conditions have proved disastrous for many ground-nesting birds, including the hen harrier – but this important work goes on.
Detractors said this project would never work.
But the population of hen harriers in England reached a 200-year high during the brood management trial. Some still refuse to accept this achievement and suggest it might be attributed to other elements of the Defra plan – population monitoring, analysing information, diversionary feeding, nest and winter roost protection – but these people also ignore the fact that the other elements have always been available for decades and made no significant difference to overall population numbers.
Now the brood management trial is complete, the entire enterprise will be carefully reviewed. That process will take time but overall the results have been astonishing. This conservation tool allowed both driven grouse shooting and hen harriers to thrive – in the interests of both. The Moorland Association Board feels it is imperative to keep up the momentum and agreed that we should apply for a hen harrier conservation licence now to enable us to plan for next year. This approach fits with global guidelines on wildlife conflict resolution, produced by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) .
What is in the conservation licence application?
The format of the conservation licence remains broadly similar to the work undertaken over the last seven years of the trial and incorporates lessons learnt to reduce the administrative complexity and unnecessary costs:
Single release site – now we know that the released birds swiftly disperse up and down the Pennines there is no need to retain the multiple release site approach.
No further requirement for satellite tags – these were used during the trial to enable us to understand if captive reared birds survive as well as wild reared ones. We now know that they do.
We remain indebted to all those who have worked tirelessly to help bolster the hen harrier in the uplands – our members, individual gamekeepers, the International Centre for Birds of Prey, Natural England, the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust and the Hawk and Owl Trust.
The Defra plan involved specific conservation actions designed to help hen harriers to fledge chicks successfully, while retaining the important economic benefits of the grouse moor sector in the north of England. We believe this dual aim should remain at the forefront of all conservation work in the coming years.
We look forward to the next stage in this remarkable success story.