BASC is delighted to announce that the Lindisfarne wildfowling scheme has been shortlisted for the 2017 Purdey Awards for Game and Conservation.
Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve (NNR) is managed by Natural England. The wildfowling at Lindisfarne is a unique scheme between Natural England, BASC North and the wildfowlers’ management group, which is funded by Natural England.
Natural England contract BASC to provide a dedicated warden and to undertake the administration of permits. The wildfowling warden supports NNR staff in ensuring continued best practice as well as providing additional bird counts of quarry and non-quarry species.
The awards application was based on the valuable data provided by the wildfowlers and the warden and how that becomes part of the annual wildfowling report produced by BASC. This, in turn, provides evidence for the on-going sustainable management of wildfowling at Lindisfarne NNR.
It also featured duck nesting tubes made by Newton Rigg college students and future plans to link BASC Young Shots with conservation tasks on the reserve.
The judges visited the reserve and met with BASC’s Gareth Dockerty and Duncan Thomas, Andrew Craggs (Natural England) Colin Teago (wildfowling warden) members of the wildfowling management group and Sir Johnny Scott.
Gareth Dockerty, BASC North regional officer, said: “The Lindisfarne scheme works on trust and cooperation between Natural England, BASC and the wildfowlers.
“It’s a fine example of how sustainable wildfowling can exist on protected sites with cooperation. It also shows that wildfowlers knowledge and data can be harnessed to help understand and enhance conservation.”
Andrew Craggs, Natural England senior reserve manager at Lindisfarne NNR, said: “The current system has been fashioned over many years, with trust and a real passion for nature conservation from all partners being a key ingredient to its current success.”
Malcolm Innes, part of the Purdey judging panel, added: “The whole set-up is probably unique in the UK and is a very strong PR story for shooting and conservation at its best – all wild, no rearing, no feeding, nothing done to excess – in fact wholly sustainable.”
The announcement of the winners takes place next month at Purdey’s London headquarters (November 23).