10 million fieldsports visits to the countryside
Fieldsports generate 10 million visits a year to the English countryside according to the latest research from Natural England. Fishing generates another 14 million visits.
The visits are measured in the fifth annual report from Natural England on people’s engagement with the natural environment.
BASC chairman Alan Jarrett said: “BASC is pleased to see fieldsports included in the annual survey of engagement with the countryside. Shooting is an important factor in both the management and use of the countryside. We help to shape and improve the countryside. The conservation benefits of shooting are well documented. The latest research shows shoot providers spend a quarter of a billion pounds on conservation each year, generating work which is equivalent to 16,000 full-time conservation jobs.”
BASC Chief Executive Richard Ali said: “The Value of Shooting report shows that shooting is good for the economy, good for conservation and good for people’s well-being. Natural England’s survey, now in its fifth year, is a useful measure of how people engage with the natural environment from their local park to the expanses of moorland. Shooting makes a positive contribution to the maintenance and management of the countryside and a positive contribution to well-being by getting people out and into the countryside.”
The Natural England report can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/survey-reveals-importance-of-outdoor-visits-in-england
The Value of Shooting report can be found here: http://www.shootingfacts.co.uk/
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