Following the announcement earlier this week that Natural England has licensed the highly controversial brood meddling trial for hen harriers (see here), the Northern England Raptor Forum (NERF) has issued a damning statement in response.
Quoting from the statement (which we encourage you to read in full on the NERF website, here), NERF’s main reasons for objecting to this trial are as follows:
- The Hen Harrier is near extinct as a breeding species in England (an average of just 3 successful nests per year over the last 9 years, ranging 0-6 nests annually) and is threatened thoughout the year as the pattern of disappearance of satellite tagged juvenile birds confirms.
- Bowland and the North Pennine Special Protection Areas {SPAs} are both designated for their supposed breeding populations of Hen Harrier at 13 and 11 pairs respectively. In 2016 and 2017 there were none in either. The UK government has a legal responsibility to correct these serious infractions and restore the species to a favourable status.
- Given the species’ fragile status we would expect Natural England to be focused on protection and addressing the known principal reason for the species’ demise which by their own admission (‘A Future for the Hen Harrier?’ NE 2008) is that of illegal persecution.
- Recent nesting pairs have only occurred on land which is not used for driven grouse shooting. As such breeding birds cannot possibly impact on the overall economics of driven grouse shooting estates. To contemplate interference via brood management with potentially the very first nesting pair to repopulate any one or more estates is outrageous and an affront to sound species’ conservation.
- Research has shown the natural carrying capacity of Hen Harrier habitat in northern England to be 300+ pairs! Therefore as a minimum we would expect to see the upland SPAs, protected under EU Directives, demonstrably supporting their designated populations of Hen Harrier. Across the whole region we’d also expect to have at least 70 breeding pairs, below which published reports show there would be no economic impact on Red Grouse numbers. Only when these thresholds are reached should the case for brood management be considered anew.
- Adequate protection against illegal persecution must be evidenced first and a growth in breeding numbers seen. There is no point in expending an estimated £0.9-1.2 million, to release young birds after hand rearing, into a dangerous environment where continuing illegal persecution severely diminishes their chances of surviving their first winter.
NERF is clearly angry (justifiably) about Natural England’s decision to licence this brood meddling trial at a time when the hen harrier’s breeding population is so desperately small, due to illegal persecution. So angry, in fact, that the last paragraph of the NERF statement is unusually forthright:
‘NERF is left dismayed that Defra and Natural England, as protectors of our natural environment should promote this untimely and unnecessary intervention which seems wholly contrary to the best principles of conservation. As such NERF members are now intent on re-evaluating areas of cooperation with Natural England‘.
Raptor Persecution UK 
A firm and authoritative statement, especially the last paragraph. Let’s hope that it’s the first of many damning this ridiculous scheme. It makes you wonder what makes NE tick these days and who is behind their conservation-unfriendly thinking.
“As such NERF members are now intent on re-evaluating areas of cooperation with Natural England‘.
Thank goodness for that.
A decision to be applauded.
The NERF statement refers to the Government’s legal responsibility to act on the plight of the Hen Harrier and restore the species to a favourable status. I have just read of another situation in which the Government is falling short of legal requirements, resulting in Michael Gove being summoned to the European Parliament to explain why it is falling short of what is required. See:
https://unearthed.greenpeace.org/2018/01/19/air-pollution-michael-gove-brussels-eu/
What would it take for a similar summons to be made in relation to the Hen Harrier situation? I respect the good work which Mr Gove is doing over a range of topics, but I do not recollect that he has made any reference to this particular issue.
Big money which backs grouse shooting makes unnatural England dance like puppits.
I am going to get flack for this but the Brood Persecution Scheme is what happens when you try to get in bed with the devil because it seems obvious to me that if the RSPB had never entertained the idea of a Hen Harrier ceiling density this persecution-scheme would never have got off the ground.
The RSPB were incredibly naive to believe that they could negotiate with the bastards. It was obvious the grousers would never allow a Hen Harrier recovery BEFORE the brood persecution, the RSPB have been conned.
It was great when the RSPB withdrew their support as soon as the plan became more clear and hopefully they have learnt a lesson.
The joke is that for all their accommodating and trust the RSPB are still labelled by the grousers as inflexible.
I could put this comment another way.
What would have happened if the RSPB had NEVER supported the HH Action Plan?
I think your criticism must come from a personal animosity to the RSPB. As the UK’s (possibly the world’s) leading bird conservation charity, they HAD to be involved at the outset to try and establish sound working practices, aims and objectives for the project. That the other participants are dishonest in their intentions, words and deeds is not the fault of the RSPB. As they withdrew when it became apparent that the resulting plan would be a nonsense is far more powerful than not being involved in the first place.
‘I think your criticism must come from a personal animosity to the RSPB.’
When they do something good they are great, which is 99.99% of the time.
This was the .01% and they withdrew which brings it to about .005%.
‘far more powerful than not being involved in the first place.’
Great, so let’s see that ‘power’ used to stop this disastrous plan.
My position is very close to AP’s. I have no personal animosity towards the RSPB – quite the opposite. I’ve been a member for over 30 years and I have frequently contributed to their campaigns and reserve purchases. I support much of what they do and have done – but on issues around raptor persecution and their relationship with the shooting brigade I think they have been naïve and feeble.
I don’t quite understand why people find this position so difficult to accept?
If i was in England I would not be providing any data to NE. There is no need to tell them anything until you make your licence return at the end of the season (when the info will be too late to put the nesting birds at risk).
They depend on volunteer effort, they cant expect cooperation when kick their volunteers in the teeth. The NERF statement should simply “we will not cooperate with any organisation who put the conservation of hen harrier at risk”.