Urgent action needed to save capercaillie
The Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, which has been in the forefront of research into declining capercaillie numbers in Scotland, has said that all involved need to act now, following the stark conclusions in a new report released by a special NatureScot Scientific Advisory Committee subgroup.
The report from a sub-group of the NatureScot Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) advises that if perilous population declines continue the species could be lost to Scotland within two to three decades.
Rory Kennedy, director, Scotland, Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, said: ‘There can be no ifs or buts about this report’s conclusions, which followed the independent review of the huge body of scientific research concerning the plight of the capercaillie. We share the conclusion that we need to move now, we need to move fast, and we don’t need to hide behind the need for more science if we are to save our dwindling populations of this iconic species.
‘The actions we need to take are clear – preventing disturbance at certain times of year and deploying effective predator control to allow sufficient brood numbers to stabilise the population. This will mean closing off certain areas from walkers, particularly those with dogs, and restricting mountain bike access to trails where birds will not be disturbed during the breeding season. And we need predator management across their entire habitat – control of pine marten and foxes that science has shown are responsible for decimating brood numbers. We also need to learn more about the impact of the large badger population growth within the capercaillie range.
‘All involved need to commit to this. There has been denial over this level of necessary action for too long. We have prevaricated and avoided the inconvenient truths. If we want to save our capercaillie it really is now a case of now or never.’