Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
the shooting industry is acting as though it is currently rather incapable of responsible, sustainable
self-regulation. Within Scotland there remains an urgent need to improve the effective enforcement
of the current legislation. Given the persistently high level of illegal raptor poisoning in Scotland, it
is perhaps time for the introduction of mandatory custodial sentences for offenders, so that judicial
discretion is limited by the law. Custodial sentences, although not mandatory, were indeed success-
fully introduced for egg-collecting offences in Scotland in 2003, and this has led to a dramatic reduc-
tion in illegal egg-collecting incidents (RSPB 2009b). In addition, a licensing scheme for sporting
estates should be given serious consideration. Specifi cally, where persistent raptor poisoning events
occur on an estate, its shooting license should be withdrawn for a period of time commensurate with
the seriousness of the offence. An estate-licensing scheme was proposed during the recent devel-
opment of the Wildlife and Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2011; however, the proposal was
rejected by the Scottish Parliament.
In 1998, the Secretary of State at the time, Donald Dewar, described the level of raptor persecu-
tion in Scotland as a 'national disgrace'. Thirteen years later, this still remains the case, and further
action to prevent it from continuing is certainly long overdue.
6.4 A landowner's perspective on wildlife poisoning in Scotland
Douglas McAdam
Chief Executive, Scottish Rural Property & Business Association (SRPBA),
Stuart House, Eskmills, Musselburgh, Scotland
Regrettably, in Scotland, the problem of illegal poisoning has not yet been eradicated, although good
progress has been made. Around 20 to 25 illegally poisoned bird of prey cases are still reported each
year (some involving the illegal use of carbofuran), and the land management industry is determined
to bring this number down to zero as soon as possible. Not only is such poisoning indiscriminate
(e.g., household pets or children could also be exposed), but it affects rare species such as golden
eagles, which land managers see as being under their responsibility. The ensuing publicity is also
highly damaging to an industry which does so much to look after Scotland's wildlife and landscapes.
For all these reasons, the organisations which represent land managers and sporting interests are
absolutely unequivocal in their condemnation of wildlife poisoning.
Addressing this area of criminality requires factual evidence and good data. This is why the
Scottish Rural Property & Business Association (SRPBA, which represents landowners and estates
across Scotland) has been working with the RSPB, the Scottish Government and Science and Advice
for Scottish Agriculture (SASA, see Section 6.5) since 2008 to produce evidence of the true scale
of confi rmed illegal poisoning incidents in this country. Focusing on birds of prey, these confi rmed
illegal poisoning fi gures are agreed between the main partners each year then launched publicly
as part of our joint efforts to eradicate this problem. The offi cial data for 2010 was published in
March 2011, and it reported 22 incidents of illegal poisoning in Scotland, which resulted in 28
dead birds of prey. Although this represents an increase of one bird in comparison to the 2009
fi gures, we have observed an overall downward trend since a high of 35 in 2006 (http://www
.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Environment/Wildlife-Habitats/paw-scotland/types-of-crime/crimes-
against-birds/Poisoninghotspotmaps2010/2011). For the fi rst time this year, in 2011, the partners in
this process included members of the Scottish Raptor Crime Priority Group (Scottish Raptor Study
Groups, Scottish Gamekeepers Association, British Association for Shooting and Conservation as
well as the Police ) under the umbrella of the Partnership Against Wildlife Crime Scotland (PAWS).
This year, all parties were involved in the process of statistical analysis and mapping, and, all agreed
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