What is Integrated Moorland Management?
- Rob Beeson
- Mar 26
- 5 min read
The UK's moorlands are precious ecosystems that hold a unique place in our natural heritage. But how are these areas looked after? Often, the answer lies in a practice called integrated moorland management. It's more than just one activity; it's a complex and interconnected system of land management that shapes the environment, economy, and society of these special places.
This blog post discusses what integrated moorland management truly means, drawing on current knowledge to help policymakers, those directly involved, and anyone with an interest in these landscapes to understand its different facets. We'll look at the key aspects that make it such a multifaceted approach and why it's crucial to consider all angles when thinking about the future of our moorlands.
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Beyond the Grouse: A Holistic View of Moorland Management
When many people think of moorlands, driven grouse shooting might come to mind. And while it's often a central element, integrated moorland management is far from being solely about game birds. Instead, it's a year-round operation involving a diverse range of activities that work together.
Think of it like this: a moorland estate isn't usually reliant on grouse shooting alone for its financial stability. Landowners and tenants are typically involved in a mix of income-generating activities, including:
Livestock Grazing: Sheep and other animals often graze the moorland, playing a role in vegetation management.
Commercial Forestry: Some moorland areas include small woodlands, contributing to the economic and ecological diversity.
Renewable Energy Generation: Increasingly, landowners are exploring options like hydro-electric power, seen as less environmentally damaging.
Tourism: Driven grouse shooting itself can drive high-end tourism, and the managed landscapes also attract other visitors throughout the year.
Therefore, to understand the sustainability of driven grouse shooting, it's essential to view it as part of this "complex web of integrated moorland management activities". The economic viability of shooting is often intertwined with these other land uses.
The Three Pillars: Sustainability in Action
The concept of sustainability isn't just about the environment; it has economic and social dimensions too. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) highlights these three dimensions as the core of mainstream sustainability thinking. Let's see how they apply to integrated moorland management:
Economic Sustainability: More Than Just Profit
Driven grouse shooting, when viewed in isolation, isn't always a profitable venture. In fact, the primary aim for many moorland owners isn't necessarily to make a direct profit from it. Instead, its economic sustainability is linked to the broader picture of integrated moorland management.
It's part of a system that supports various jobs in rural communities, from gamekeepers and shepherds to hospitality staff. The private investment in maintaining moors for red grouse also has wider economic benefits. Furthermore, these managed landscapes can attract tourism, benefiting local economies.
Crucially, the report "Sustainable Driven Grouse Shooting?" points out that no attempt has been made to define or measure the economic sustainability of alternative moorland uses using a similar holistic model. This lack of evidence is a significant gap in discussions about how moorlands should be managed.
Environmental Sustainability: Balancing Acts and Benefits
Correctly managed moorlands have been shown to improve and maintain biodiversity, providing a lifeline for rare and endangered ground-nesting birds and birds of prey. Integrated moorland management often involves practices aimed at achieving this, such as:
Maintaining a mosaic of moorland vegetation through controlled burning or cutting, which creates diverse habitats.
Managing grazing levels to benefit different plant and animal species.
Controlling predators to protect vulnerable bird populations.
Controlled burning of heather, a traditional management method, is often employed to reduce the risk of summer wildfires by removing vegetative fuel load. It also encourages the regeneration of a diverse dwarf shrub sward, providing nutritious food for moorland species and farmed animals.
The removal of dense heather canopy allows light penetration, benefiting ground fauna like mosses and lichens. Gamekeepers often provide crucial manpower and expertise in tackling wildfires, often at no cost to the taxpayer.
Integrated moorland management also contributes to several ecosystem services:
Reduction in the cost of health risks: Through the control of ticks and bracken. Bracken control, for instance, can benefit grazing and biodiversity.
Provision of other services: Such as an increase in peat formation, flood reduction and carbon sequestration. Healthy peatlands are crucial for carbon storage.
Landowners and tenants practicing integrated moorland management are encouraged to invest more resources in recording biodiversity levels and implementing plans to enrich it.
Social Sustainability: Communities and Connections
Moorlands and their management have deep social roots. Integrated moorland management supports employment in often remote rural areas. The skills and expertise of gamekeepers and other land managers, developed over generations, are vital for looking after these landscapes.
The "People's Plan for the Uplands" highlights the deep connection that people living and working on the moors have with these areas. It emphasizes the importance of involving local communities in decisions about the future of the uplands and trusting their expertise. Participants in a public survey for this plan recognized shooting's role in conservation, including protecting rare bird species.
The Interconnectedness: Why Integration Matters
The IUCN emphasizes that the three elements of sustainability – environmental, social, and economic – cannot and should not be viewed in isolation. They are interconnected and influence each other. For example, economically viable moorland management can support environmental conservation efforts and provide social benefits through employment and community engagement.
Considering Alternatives: A Need for Evidence
The report "Sustainable Driven Grouse Shooting?" raises a critical question: would alternative uses of the UK's moorlands deliver greater benefits to society and the environment? To answer this, it's essential to have a clear understanding of the impacts of these alternatives, using a similarly holistic approach to that applied to integrated moorland management.
Concepts like rewilding and increased tree planting are often discussed as alternative land management strategies. While these approaches may have potential benefits, their long-term impacts on biodiversity, carbon storage, wildfire risk, and local communities need careful consideration and robust evidence.
The audit in "Sustaining ecosystems – English grouse moors" suggests that the "land-sharing" approach of grouse moor management, where conservation is integrated into a productive landscape, is currently delivering multiple outcomes.
Looking to the Future: Collaboration and Understanding
The future of our uplands depends on a balanced approach that considers the diverse demands and needs of society. Integrated moorland management, when carried out using best practices, can contribute to a wide range of public goods and services, supported by private investment driven by the incentive of driven grouse shooting.
Moving forward, it's crucial to:
Better quantify the environmental offering of moorland management and recognize its potential contribution to environmental goals.
Encourage collaborative initiatives that involve farmers, grouse moor managers, and local communities to address challenges and opportunities.
Support further research to enhance our understanding of the long-term impacts of different management practices.
Foster open dialogue and a consensual approach among all stakeholders involved in the policy formation and management of moorland landscapes.
Our English uplands are unique and valuable. By understanding the complexities of integrated moorland management, we can have more informed conversations and make better decisions about how to sustain these precious ecosystems for generations to come.
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