BASC has given the BBC the facts on grouse as the Glorious Twelfth approaches.
Steve Bloomfield, BASC's director of operations, was interviewed as part of a BBC Inside Out programme which will feature a piece on grouse shooting.
Mr Bloomfield highlighted the conservation benefits of land managed for grouse shooting and the positive impacts on the often isolated rural communities where it takes place.
Heather moorland is rarer than rainforest. Seventy five per cent of it is found in Britain because of grouse moor management. Up to five times more threatened wading brids are supported on moors managed by gamekeepers. Grouse shooting is worth £100 million to the UK economy and grouse is a healthy food.
Mr Bloomfield said: "To inform the piece and to have a chance to talk about the broad benefits of grouse moor management and grouse shooting in front of a wider audience was a fantastic opportunity.
"Hopefully the programme's audience will be better informed about grouse shooting and its benefits to conservation, communities and the economy."
A White Paper produced by BASC entitled ‘Grouse shooting and management in the United Kingdom: its value and role in the provision of ecosystem services’ can be found here: https://basc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2015/03/Research-White-Paper-Grouse-shooting-and-management.pdf
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