GWCT appeals for funds to keep science in the gamebird debate

The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) has launched a fundraising appeal to keep independent science at the centre of the gamebird debate, telling supporters the countryside is at “a critical moment”. The appeal opened in the final week of the call for evidence on gamebird release run by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), which the trust believes could mark the beginning of a much wider argument over the future of game management.

Why is the GWCT raising funds now?

“Defra’s Call for Evidence could mark the beginning of a much wider debate about the future of game management,” the trust told supporters in its appeal. “We want to make sure that debate is informed by robust and independent science. With your support, we can analyse and publish our findings, put clear evidence in front of policymakers, and demonstrate our research in action through meetings and field visits.”

The money would fund analysis and publication of the trust’s research, briefings for policymakers, and field visits demonstrating game management science on the ground. The appeal landed in the same week as the trust’s peer-reviewed study finding no rise in fox activity on pheasant release sites, the kind of evidence it says the debate needs more of.

The science reaches a television audience

Matt Goodall, the GWCT’s head of education, has spoken to Channel 4 News about the environmental benefits of sustainable gamebird management, with the interview due to be broadcast on Thursday, 29 October. The trust is also urging members who have not yet responded to the call for evidence to do so before it closes, publishing guidance and an email template for submissions.

“It is vital that practical experience and robust science are heard,” the trust said. “What is submitted now could shape future policy for years to come.”

The final days of the call for evidence

The appeal joins a crowded final week. More than 10,000 people have emailed Defra through the British Association for Shooting and Conservation’s response drive, after the department rejected a request for more time on 13 October, and bodies from the Scottish Association for Country Sports to the Gun Trade Association have published their own guidance for members.

The trust, which employs more than 60 post-doctoral scientists and research staff, says its case will stand on evidence rather than advocacy: the fox study, its gamebird biodiversity research and the Game for Nature report are the material it wants in front of ministers when the submissions are weighed.

What happens next

The Defra call for evidence on rearing, releasing and shooting gamebirds in England closes at 23:59 on Sunday, 1 November. The GWCT’s appeal, its response guidance and its submission template are on its website, linked below.