South Grampian estates ask NatureScot to make full use of its powers
Collaboration, partnership working and making full use of available powers in the legislation to make deer management work most effectively were key messages that came out from a meeting of the South Grampian Deer Management Group in late May at Kilry Hall in Angus as its members discussed the future for deer management in the area. The Group area, partly situated in the Cairngorms National Park, extends to a total of 42,613 hectares and contains some of Scotland’s most stunning and dramatic scenery stretching from Glenshee in the west to Glen Clova in the east, and from Callater and Balmoral in the north to the farmlands of Angus in the south. The northern mountains are designated to reflect their environmental importance with the Caenlochan SAC and Glen Callater SSSI at the heart of the area. However, Caenlochan, as well as being a stunning glen, has been associated with years of complex issues and conflict around competing interests with deer and their management. With the climate and biodiversity emergencies now high on the public agenda alongside food security, the deer managers in the South Grampian DMG area met with representatives from NatureScot, the Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) and Association of Deer Management Groups to discuss their role in and contribution to delivering for the public interest through greater collaboration. The Group considers the challenge is essentially one of planning how the economic, social and environmental importance of deer in fragile communities can be best balanced with addressing any negative herbivore impacts and promoting habitat recovery and natural capital growth. Public interest and private interest objectives overlap to a great extent and the Group is keen to deliver for both. Future deer management planning for the Group intends to measure the important socio-economic role the deer industry plays in the rural communities of the Angus Glens and help address how this can be maintained and invigorated by future land management demands. Douglas McAdam, the independent Chairman of South Grampian Deer Management Group said: “Red deer numbers in the area from a recent count in March 2022 sit at around 6,974, down nearly 24% from a population of 9,135 in January 2019. This represents the result of sustained culling in the area over the last four years but, for the Group to achieve what is required and deliver for both the public and private interest, more needs to be done and deer numbers will have to be reduced further. However red deer are an iconic Scottish species as well as a valuable food and economic resource and this, as well as their welfare, should always remain an important underlying consideration. “To achieve this all estates in the Group area need to play their part and fulfill their deer management obligations and responsibilities. Deer management across a large area, with a highly mobile deer population crossing multiple landholdings will only work if all landholdings across the area cooperate and work collaboratively with their neighbours to manage deer aligned to common objectives.” To make this happen the Group, following a proposal from its Executive Steering Group, has formally requested NatureScot to put in place a new Section 7 Agreement that would last for five years and should cover all the relevant landholdings in the area. This new Section 7 Agreement would allow the estates, together with NatureScot and CNPA to chart a way forward in their delivery of both private and public objectives which in upland Scotland are so closely intertwined. The Group was very clear with NatureScot that if any landholdings do not cooperate in fulfilling their responsibilities then it would expect...
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