More extracts of evidence pertaining to the Peak District – this from the evidence of Bob Berzins:
- I have enjoyed the outdoors all my life but over the last 10 or 15 years, especially since reports like Peak Malpractice, I have seen signs of wildlife persecution and understood the significance of damage to protected habitats. As a fell runner I visit all areas of Peak District moors and I have found that officers of statutory agencies and NGO’s are often unaware of what is actually happening in these areas. I now photograph and report any incidents I see and try to follow up these reports so that the differing types of damage are stopped. The uplands of this country are precious and I just want to see all moorland in favourable condition with a full and diverse range of wildlife. I have seen that grouse moor management determines exclusively the shape of our uplands, causes a huge amount of damage and leaves no room for a diversity of species and I am saddened that I cannot see raptors over any grouse moor.
- Grouse moor managers often state that waders (lapwing, curlew, golden plover etc) do better on a grouse moor and predator control is often cited as the reason for this. My own observation of the number of snares, spring traps and carcasses in stink pits leads me to conclude that hundreds of animals and birds are killed on a grouse moor where we may see 1 or 2 extra waders compared to another (non-grouse) moor.
- All crows that venture onto a grouse moor are shot, then piled up in stink pits. Some will describe Crows as vermin but the overall effect of this is a complete lack of balance and variety of species and common sense dictates that this is not a healthy and thriving environment.
- Intensive grouse moor management requires gamekeeping practices to an extreme level. This in turn necessitates repeated vehicle access through rare and protected blanket bog. Natural England is unable to protect this environment. The commercial interests of Grouse Shooting take precedence over conservation. The only way to protect our uplands is to remove the need for such extreme management by banning Driven Grouse Shooting.
You could write to your MP about the debate on driven grouse shooting today (see here).
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These gems are great Mark – thanks for sharing. Great idea to add ‘Gems from the Written Evidence’ as one of your archive search categories as well.
Bob Berzin is a good and a brave man, one of those my husband keeps reassuring me the country is full of. And what about the gamekeepers who are having to do such nauseating things as part of their work? Do they not see it as such? Would they not rather be proper nature wardens and educators?”
I’m afraid a lot of the gamekeepers think they are a cut above conservation work and they are a bit too good for being proper rangers (see Bert Burnett’s comments in the excellent ‘Tooth and Claw’). A delusion as a lot of them are clearly just incapable of it. Likewise they pour scorn on researchers, claiming they are the only ones fit to pass comment on the countryside, conveniently forgetting that researchers usually spend a vast amount of time in the field directly observing and objectively noting what goes on. They think they have a monopoly on really knowing what’s going on. In reality they see everything through blood stained glasses. Yes Bob Berzins is definitely a top bloke. Compare what we got from him to the PR bilge from Amanda Anderson and Liam Stokes.
Well done Bob Berzins.
I remember you from the eighties when you were a top, long distance fell racer.
Your written evidence is so from the heart, and I cannot imagine that anyone reading it, even the gamekeepers that work the Peak District, could argue against what you have experienced.
You have summed up everything that will help steer us towards a better future for our uplands.
Agree.
The wisdom of the long distance runner.
Thanks Bob for this evidence. Compelling, cardinal and cardio-muscular to boot.
More moor traversing needed by Uncle Tom Cobley and all.
I agree. Bob is a star!
If you care about the Peak District them please sign up to our local petition which asks the National Trust NOT to put another shooting tenant on their 6000 hectare estate – the one from which they have recently evicted the current tenant following the incident of the decoy hen harrier and the man with a gun waiting nearby.
For further details search for ‘nomoorshooting’ where you will find the petition form.
There’s a great opportunity for the NT to create a fabulous new nature reserve there – something this national park desperately needs.
Nick