BASC has provided clear evidence to Natural Resources Wales (NRW) that shooting is both an essential wildlife management tool and an important recreational activity.
The evidence is outlined in BASC’s official response to a NRW review of firearms use on land it manages.
BASC’s response highlights the independent Value of Shooting Report which found that shooting is worth £75 million annually to the Welsh economy and supports the equivalent of 2,400 full-time jobs.
BASC also explains how shooting directly supports the equivalent of 490 full-time conservation jobs in Wales and calls on NRW to preserve ‘shooting lets’ on public land.
The association’s response shows that shooting invests £7.4 million in the maintenance and enhancement of natural resources each year and highlights peer-reviewed papers showing the connections between legal and responsible shooting and benefits to the environment.
Ian Danby, BASC’s head of biodiversity projects, said: “BASC’s evidence shows very clearly how shooting is a material and powerful investor for maintaining and enhancing the natural resources of Wales. It provides significant biodiversity, social and economic benefits not just for those who take part, but for society as a whole.
“NRW has a fantastic opportunity to develop a policy that makes better use of shooting to deliver sustainable management and use of natural resources. For example they could benefit from using recreational deer stalkers to assist in the management of deer and wild boar numbers on land they own or manage.”
NRW is likely to hold an open consultation on its suggested use of shooting later this year after it has assessed the evidence presented.