Dog walkers put moor’s revival at risk

The vital work of grouse moor owners and land managers on Ilkley Moor in West Yorkshire may be under threat following complaints from a local pressure group that dog walkers are unhappy with their treatment by the moor?s gamekeepers.

Bradford Council has confirmed that a review of the Bingley Moor Partnership?s 10-year lease on the Site of Special Scientific Interest would be discussed at a meeting this week, and that a ?break clause? ending the agreement could be invoked.

Councillor Ian Greenwood said: ?In considering whether to operate the break clause, we need to be confident that if we move forward with the shoots, they will be operated in such a way to ensure the widest possible access to the moor.?

Natural England, which works closely with the Bingley Moor Partnership to improve conditions for wildlife on the moor, said only last year that the moor?s trustees ?have embraced local access so that the site can be enjoyed by different user groups.?

The Partnership?s Edward Bromet, who is also chairman of the Moorland Association, said shoots took place on Ilkley Moor on six days last season, but that management on the moor was carried out every day of the year.

The rest of this article appears in the 29th February issue of Shooting Times.

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