Defra has just published old and incomplete maps of raptor persecution events on the Magic system.
These are worth having a glance at and I’ll be looking at them more closely through the day, as I’m sure will Raptor Persecution UK (this is right up their street), but if you have ever looked at the annual, up to date, RSPB annual wildlife crime reports then you won’t gain much from these data and you’ll wonder how far behind Defra is in its knowledge and appreciation of the subject of raptor persecution.
I can’t imagine the police will be thrilled that Defra claims that enforcement efforts will gain a new lease of life from these maps and that they are what the coppers have needed to get serious about wildlife crime.
Defra is not taking wildlife crime seriously and when it pretends that it is, it merely demonstrates that it is not. I await with interest any comments from the organisations involved with this initiative.
Meanwhile, here is the Defra announcement with a few annotations in red.
Raptor persecution maps for England and Wales have been published to enable the police to clearly see where the highest incidents are taking place and focus enforcement efforts in the areas that need it most [Ah – that’s what has been holding them back is it? They didn’t have an incomplete and out of date map? What nonsense!].
The maps present the number of shootings, trappings, poisonings and nest destructions that took place across England & Wales between 2011 and 2015 and will be updated annually, providing an invaluable intelligence tool to help fight crimes again birds of prey [You really are having a laugh! We know all this already].
North Yorkshire will be a priority area as the most incidents occurred there (39)[We’ve known this for years and years], followed by Norfolk (17), Cumbria (11), Derbyshire (11), Lincolnshire (10), Suffolk (8) and Northumberland (8).
Wildlife Minister Thérèse Coffey said:
Birds of prey are a vital part of our animal landscape, icons of our cultural heritage and key to boosting local economies by attracting visitors to England and Wales. [Nice of the minister to say something nice about wildlife rather than about shooting wildlife for once. They attract visitors to England and Wales do they? Where from? Scotland? Europe? Well visitors are going to be disappointed then aren’t they? We know, and these maps merely confirm, that our National Parks are wildlife crime hotspots – that’s hardly going to attract visitors. In fact the minister should know that National Parks (Peak District, Yorkshire Dales) and AONBs, (Nidderdale, Forest of Bowland) are concerned that wildlife crime reduces potential visitor numbers to their areas. Defra is catching up with the rest of the world, but very very slowly and, it always seems, incredibly reluctantly.]
These maps highlight hotspots across the country for crimes against these precious birds, enabling [Have you had your head in a bucket for years? You really are suggesting that these maps are some sort of a breakthrough?] the police to crack down with increased enforcement in areas where it’s needed most – building on the valuable work land management, conservation and shooting organisations are already doing to help protect iconic birds of prey [very witty!].
There are already strong penalties in place for committing offences against birds of prey and the unlawful use of traps and all wild birds are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
The Government takes all wildlife crime very seriously and raptor persecution has been identified as a UK wildlife crime priority. Each priority has a delivery group to consider what action should be taken, develop a plan to prevent crime, gather intelligence on offences and enforce against it.
The National Wildlife Crime Unit also monitors and gathers intelligence on illegal activities affecting raptors and provides assistance to police forces when required.
These maps build on this valuable work and will help boost the fight against those who continue to commit crimes against raptors. In the five year measurable period there have been 262 incidents in England and Wales: 146 of these caused by shooting and 66 by poisoning.
The majority of incidents took place against buzzards (108), followed by owls (40), red kites (39) and peregrine hawks (34) [what are Peregrine Hawks?].
In January 2016 the government published the Hen Harrier Action Plan and the new maps will help support the six positive actions outlined in the plan, which are already underway. Today’s maps show one incident involving Hen harriers.
The maps were developed by the Raptor Persecution Priority Delivery Group, which includes Defra, the Devolved Administrations, Natural England, National Wildlife Crime Unit, the police, British Association for Shooting and Conservation, RSPB, Country Land and Business Association, Moorland Association, National Game Keepers’ Organisation, National Parks England, Crown Prosecution Service and the Countryside Alliance.
Ends
Please sign Gavin Gamble’s e-petition to ban driven grouse shooting – that will knock off a lot of incidents from future maps. A rival e-petition actually suggests that birds of prey are over-protected.
I think you should have commented on the quote “Today’s maps show one incident involving Hen harriers.”
I think that, more than anything else, shows just how useful these maps are and will be.
It claims “The maps present the number of shootings, trappings, poisonings and nest destructions that took place across England & Wales between 2011 and 2015”.
No it doesn’t and the vast majority of these events are not on the maps. I wonder what evidence is needed to get an incident on to the maps? Is that a secret too?
Nice maps, i’ve just got to bolt the stable door.
Rob – made me laugh!
What the hell is the Countryside Alliance doing on the Raptor Persecution Priority Delivery Group? I would question the loading of other shooting interest groups, which well outweigh genuine conservation representation. However, the Countryside Alliance is primarily a lobby group and propaganda organization. The Countryside Alliance grew out of the failed BFSS, which was formed with the sole intention of trying to avoid a ban on fox hunting. In fact despite all the flimflam, the Countryside Alliance is still essentially a fox hunting lobby organization. It’s other activities are simply to swell it’s membership and supporter base.
The Countryside Alliance is a very toxic organization, engaged in deliberate manipulations of the truth. It has single handedly created the myth of the “country person”, and labels everyone else “townies”. It operates on the basis of fear, telling lies that “townies” are in some sort of conspiracy to oppress “true country people”. This is a massive lie given that the Countryside Alliance is in reality an organization to promote the interests of wealthy and usually titled landowners. These are indeed fake country people, because their country estates are simply their amusement parks, and actually these people often spend most of the year living in their expensive town houses.
The Countryside Alliance has created the entirely false myth that the countryside is dominated by people who support fox hunting etc, and that it is only “townies” who oppose fox hunting, “because they don’t understand the countryside like real country people”. Again this is an outright lie. There has always been a majority of country people opposed to fox hunting. Not least of all because most hunts are historically upper class hooligans who used fox hunting to remind the peasants who was in charge. Historically the hunts have trespassed, killed the pets of ordinary people and ran roughshod over everyone i.e. they were generally unpleasant to the majority of country people. Survey after survey has demonstrated that the vast majority of country people oppose fox hunting.
This is before getting onto the violent “countryside march” orchestrated by the Countryside Alliance.
In other words, on what basis does an organization, who’s primary purpose is to spread lies and propaganda, which is extremely divisive, sit on a body like this. Yes, we know it self proclaims to represent country people. However, as I have just demonstrated it does not in actuality represent the vast majority of countryside people, but the vested interests of an often very wealthy minority.
Remember, in trying to repeal the fox hunting ban, the Countryside Alliance essentially campaigns for an illegal activity. Would the government put organizations which campaign for the legalization of cannabis on a national drug advisory body?
From what I can tell they have just stuck the locations of incidents reported in the RSPB’s bird crime reports onto an interactive map without actually providing any info as to what was targeted. Still it’s pretty easy to cross-reference with the RSPB’s reports to see what happened in that area.
We have exactly the same up here in Scotland -SNH. A powerless, useless quango . I shudder to think how much taxpayers money is wasted each year with their glossy reports , monthly magazines, staff ,offices etc etc. Money which could be channelled into so many grass root projects which would effect real change.
Ask yourself if they all disappeared tomorrow would the natural world notice?
Has anyone ever looked at the number and type of rifles and shotguns owned by members of the various estates?
Jeff, this information is obviously in the files of the relevant firearms licensing departments.
However, in this case I don’t think bringing it all together , although interesting , would serve much purpose.
Irrespective of how many guns you may have (I have two rifles and two shotguns), you can only use one at a time, so I do not think there is a connection between numbers of firearms held, and the extent of wildlife crime.
Also there is little scope forensically, in most cases , to match the weapon to the crime in this context.
Isn’t this a positive move, in that Defra are actually doing something rather than nothing, and announcing it in a ministerial statement?
I pity anyone trying to use and make sense from these maps.
They seemed to have left goshawk off their list I wonder where they have could have gone