Thursday 25 January 2018

Teesdale conference will look at future of moorlands

FINDINGS from the latest research carried out by scientists in the uplands will be discussed at a North of England grouse seminar near Barnard Castle.

From the role of grouse moor management in helping wader conservation to post-fire vegetation succession on blanket blog and reports from Langholm Moor, a variety of topics will feature at the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust’s (GWCT) 11th conference.

This year’s event will be held in The Morritt Hotel, Greta Bridge, on March 8.

The Marquess of Downshire, a trustee, will chair the meeting, which will commence with GWCT scientist Dave Newborn talking about grouse diseases, including respiratory cryptosporidiosis, and will focus on distribution, prevalence, impacts on survival and productivity and reservoirs of infection.

Organiser Dr Dave Baines, director of upland research, who will be explaining the importance of grouse moor management for declining curlew and other waders, said: “The political pressures facing the future of driven grouse shooting have never been greater. This is your opportunity to find out the trust’s latest research findings that will help steer solutions.”

Meanwhile, Dr Sian Whitehead, senior scientist at GWCT, will explain how results from the long-term rotational burning experiment at Moor House nature reserve in upper Teesdale may be widely applicable on North Pennine grouse moors.

Dr Philip Warren’s paper will focus on black grouse range expansion and Dr Sonja Ludwig will provide the final results from ten years of the Langholm Moor Demonstration Project, showing the changes in numbers of red grouse in relation to moorland restoration, including the diversionary feeding of hen harriers.

There will be a guest speaker from Natural England and a discussion focusing on the pros and cons on heather burning by Professor Rob Marrs, of the University of Liverpool.

Tickets for the conference are now on sale and cost £40.

For more infomation and to book, visit www.gwct.org.uk /grouseseminar

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