Your article on grouse moors (Close grouse moors to help environment, report urges, 9 December) mentions the Langholm moor project, in which “the correct management techniques led to higher curlew, snipe and golden plover populations, and hen harriers”. This is true, but hides the real lesson of the project. Despite being run by a coalition of fieldsport organisations, the study was unable to make the moor profitable without the illegal shooting, trapping and poisoning of raptors, which tracking studies show are widespread on grouse moors, and the landowner is now selling the moor. If “correct” management is not profitable, what is happening elsewhere? I should also point out that the list of birds that benefit is cherry-picked from the longer list of wildlife that declines or is actively persecuted.
Alan Carter
Aberdeen
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