RSPB attempt to push their narrative into local communities

Last week, the Regional Moorland Groups launched a video directed at the trustees of the RSPB which highlighted how the bird charity has drifted from its original objectives. While it was set up to protect and conserve bird life, many people – some of whom were interviewed in the RMG video – are concerned that in recent years the charity has diverted from its intended purposes and has lost sight of the big issue. Rather than focusing on conservation, it has instead become preoccupied with culture wars and launching attacks on shooting estates.

C4PMC have this week had sight of a letter sent by the RSPB which highlights almost exactly the issues described in the video. The letter, sent to uplands residents, urges them to write to their MP on the topic of driven grouse shooting, ahead of a parliamentary debate on 30th June which has been triggered by a Wild Justice petition.

Signed “Isobel, RSPB Campaigner” the letter states that:

“Our windswept uplands are beautiful and beloved landscapes… But these precious places are often not as wild as they appear. All too often they are being managed for one purpose: Red Grouse shooting. At worst, our uplands are becoming crime scenes. Birds of prey like Hen Harriers, Peregrines and Red Kites are being illegally targeted and killed to keep Red Grouse numbers high. Protected peatlands are being burnt to encourage new heather growth for grouse to eat. This destruction of our iconic wildlife and landscapes has to stop.”

Needless to say, the letter serves to reinforce many of the issues highlighted in the RMG video. Without any evidence, the writer accuses grouse moor owners – and therefore gamekeepers – of illegally killing birds of prey. But unsurprisingly, she offers no evidence.

She refers to heather burning in the way most designed to evoke a response: referring to the burning of peatlands when we know the peat does not burn in a controlled cool burn, and ignoring the multitude of reasons why rotational burning is carried out. Not simply to encourage new shoots, but to mitigate against wildfire and provide a habitat that best serves the diverse wildlife of the uplands.

And, of course, what the letter doesn’t mention is the plethora of bird life who thrive on managed moors. Species that struggle to get a foothold on RSPB-managed moors are here in their thousands; curlew, lapwing, oystercatchers, whinchat, grey partridge – the list goes on.

But of course, if you didn’t know any background yourself you might naturally believe this letter. They are, after all, working to protect birds, aren’t they? Why would they make things up? This latest attempt to incite hostility against grouse moors and the people that work there by infiltrating the local communities is yet another example of how the RSPB have lost their way. Let’s hope they watch the RMG video and, finally, sit up and listen.