BASC’s Green Shoots conservation project celebrated almost a decade of success at a reception in the House of Lords (12 May).
Politicians, journalists and conservation partners were invited to the event to listen to speeches from the RSPB’s chief executive Graham Wynne, Lord Glentoran and BASC’s chief executive John Swift. A short film about the project’s achievements and plans for the future was also shown.
BASC director of conservation Tim Russell said: “Our work to date has proved what the shooting community is capable of in terms of delivering conservation benefits. The challenge now is to extend the work, ideally across the UK, but to achieve that we need to build new partnerships and find new sources of funding.”
Graham Wynne, chief executive of the RSPB, said: “BASC stands out as an organisation that isn’t afraid to tackle the difficult issues. The RSPB is therefore pleased to be associated with Green Shoots. If our wildlife is to adapt to the demands of a changing climate, it is essential that the countryside is managed with this in mind. We applaud BASC’s efforts to achieve positive change for all wildlife, not just quarry species.”
Green Shoots links the shooting community with government agencies, wildlife trusts and other conservation bodies for the benefit of conservation. There are projects currently operating in North Wales, Cheshire and Somerset with new projects being developed in Northern Ireland and Dorset.
Green Shoots has the unique ability of being able to access land used for shooting which covers about two-thirds of the UK. Since 2000 project work has resulted in the planting of tens of thousand of trees, has helped to control non-native species like American mink and created a volunteer network to carry out large scale conservation projects.
ENDS