Black grouse: conservation review work 2009 to 2012
Between 09-12 the RSPB alongside NatureScot (NS), Scottish Forestry (SF) and the Game and Wildlife Trust (GWCT), supported two black grouse review projects - the updated Calladine review and the Conservation Review Project.
On this page
The lay of the land
For years, Black Grouse populations have been falling. National estimates between 1995-1996 and 2005 highlighted a significant drop of displaying males, from 4,719 to 3,344 within Scotland.
Black grouse are a red list species of high conservation concern, listed on Annex 2B of the EU Birds Directive (2009/147/EC) and were a UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UKBAP) species and a priority under the Species Action Framework.
The Scottish Biodiversity Action Plan (SBAP) included a commitment to recover Black Grouse numbers to (3,250 lekking males) and to expand their range to 230 occupied 10 km2 squares by 2030.
The RSPB, alongside other partners, invested significant effort into Black Grouse research, monitoring and conservation management. But the breadth and effectiveness of this work isn't well known so we set up two review projects to spread the word.
The projects
Project 1
The updated Calladine review aimed to sum up the evidence for Black Grouse management methods, as identified by conservation staff, from published literature and current knowledge. This work is an update of the original Calladine review, published in 2002.
Project 2
The conservation review project aimed to assess the extent of Black Grouse monitoring, agri-environment support and dedicated conservation work across Scotland.
To complete the above objectives, the black grouse project officer gathered all available information on Black Grouse including:
- Published information
- Monitoring
- Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP) spend
- Conservation work.
Recommendations were provided to the Black Grouse SBAP group.
The progress
The completed reports offer a full picture of the progress that has been made, but you can read some of the major findings below:
- There is currently a range of recommended Black Grouse management methods, but not all of them are fully backed-up by scientific evidence.
- In Scotland, an estimated 50% of the 1991 Breeding Bird Atlas range has been monitored between 2001-11, with a total number of 4,713 males recorded by the most recent surveys.
- More than £100 million has been committed through the Scottish Rural Development Programme to Rural Priority options which is likely to benefit Black Grouse, with more than £8 million of this from the Black Grouse package.
- In Scotland, five specialist recovery projects took place between 2007-2012, alongside management for Black Grouse on at least 12 nature reserves and 22 forests on the national estate. But these figures are likely to underestimate the level of black grouse management in Scotland.
The future
Following the recommendations of the conservation review project, the RSPB, NS, SF and GWCT recommended the following:
- A review into the practicality of a national monitoring scheme
- Improving future resource targeting
- Producing a research strategy for the next five years
Download
RSPB report to Scottish Forestry, the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust and NatureScot. Date: 14 November 2013. PDF, 1.32 MB
Black Grouse Conservation Review: Monitoring In Scotland
RSPB report to Scottish Forestry, the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust and NatureScot. Date: 14 November 2013. PDF, 1.70 MB
Black Grouse Conservation Review: Scotland Rural Development Programme Spend
RSPB report to Scottish Forestry, the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust and NatureScot. Date: 14 November 2013. PDF, 1.03 MB
Black Grouse Conservation Review: Conservation Effort In Scotland
Date: 14 November 2013. PDF, 867 KB
A Review Of Management Prescriptions For Black Grouse In Britain: An Update And Revision
Contacts
Chris Bailey
Advisory Manager, Scotland