We can curb blood sports activities and defend Scotland’s iconic wildlife and nature.
New powers that will curb blood sports activities and snares and crackdown on the concentrating on of birds of prey are inside touching distance if MSPs present the ethical braveness to vote them into regulation, say the Scottish Greens.
The celebration’s rural affairs spokesperson, Ariane Burgess MSP, made an impassioned speech on the deserves of the proposals throughout a stage one debate on the Scottish Government’s Wildlife Management and Muirburn Bill.
Polling from marketing campaign group Revive exhibits the vast majority of Scots oppose using wildlife traps and muirburn for the aim of accelerating grouse numbers and that six in 10 are against grouse taking pictures
Ms Burgess hopes that the invoice will probably be a turning level in tackling the ecological destruction brought on by pushed grouse taking pictures and in efforts to deal with wildlife crime, saying: “I – and the Scottish Green Party – fully support the measures in this Bill. So, too, do the majority of people in Scotland.”
Police are nonetheless investigating the circumstances of a golden eagle going lacking from the Scottish Borders, fearing it’s more likely to have come to hurt. Continued persecution of Scotland’s birds of prey can be halted by the invoice.
Ms Burgess mentioned: “Our protected birds of prey are not safe under the current law. The RSPB’s latest Bird Crime Report found that in 2022, at least 64% of total incidents of raptor persecution across the UK were linked to land managed for pheasant, partridge and grouse shooting.”
Ms Burgess additionally welcomed the ban on snares that’s included within the invoice, saying: “An animal caught in a snare is injured, highly stressed, exposed to the elements and other predators, and denied food and water. And, of course, snares are completely indiscriminate – a fox can be trapped, but so too have unintended species including otters and even pet cats. A ban on snares is a mark of the high regard this country has for its iconic wildlife.”
In conclusion, Ms Burgess remarked: “This Parliament must legislate for the Scotland of the future – a future that will see us grappling with the consequences of the climate and nature crises. This Bill gives the government the tools needed to better protect Scotland’s wildlife, ensure peatlands are restored and that our uplands are fit for the future.”
