Moorland Matters

BY IAN COGHILL QUILLER £25

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Three quarters of the world’s stock of heather uplands is to be found in the UK, much of it in Scotland, and it has become a political, cultural and environmental battleground. The subtitle of this book – ‘The Battle for the Uplands against Authoritarian Conservation’ – gives a sense of what to expect from this worthy but rarely dull rural polemic.

Coghill is frequently informative and unafraid of grappling with areas of dispute. As you might expect from a former Chairman of the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust who describes himself as a life-long conservationist and a keen participant in country sports, he calls out the extreme positions taken by many statutory bodies, quangos and conservation organisations, yet he also proposes laudably pragmatic solutions to many of the most contentious countryside issues. This is a hugely important book for everyone in the country (it’s a huge pity it’s printed in such unreadable type).