In one of my walks last year, I saw this scene of moorland burning in
the North York Moors National Park. I have witnessed this many times in
Scotland, before, but because I was at the time contributing to the land use
section of the UK net-zero report by the CCC, this image shuddered me. Moorland burning is the planned burning of small areas of older
heather, mostly undertaken by private Estate owners with the objective of
regenerating the heather and of promoting blueberries essential to feed red
grouse and deer. It is very sad that we hardly see any other wildlife
(e.g. birds of prey, which should be abundant in an ecosystem full of
grouse and deer. This is because private Estates manage these huge amounts
of land to promote only a couple of species for the pleasure of rich hunters
that fly from the big cities and from other countries to shoot them. It is also
unacceptable that when all sectors of the economy have to set targets to become
greenhouse gas neutral by 2050, or even before, private Estate owners are not
presenting alternative management options in moorland areas. To stop carbon
dioxide (CO2) emissions resulting from heather burning and the
associated damage of blanket bogs, which are very important reservoirs of
carbon, is essential to achieve several sustainable development goals (SDGs). A
common excuse from managers is that burnings are controlled and do not damage
blanket bogs but two questions are posed: Is this really checked and monitored
by Defra and/or Natural England? Why does heather/burning continue only for the
pleasure of a few, who also add to the carbon emissions budget of this land use
by flying to these places for shooting? A more climate smart management
practice is required. This could be to let native trees and vegetation to thrive,
as this would conserve the peat and sequester carbon, and contribute to the net
zero targets. Landowners could claim subsidies if they could prove they are
providing ecosystem services such as climate change mitigation and adaptation,
water conservation, and biodiversity.
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