#611: Deer Stalkers needed

Via my Google Alert.

The Daily Telegraph has connected the new specification with a conservation need. There are millions of deer in the countrysde, and when there are too many and they aren't managed this can lead to damage to trees, hedgerows and habitat for birds. There is a suggestion that more young people should be trained in deer management methods.

Charles Smith-Jones, of the Brit­ish Deer Soci­ety, said: “The interest is out there, and it’s a ques­tion of devel­op­ing the enthu­si­asms, and then cre­at­ing the oppor­tun­it­ies.”

He noted that there was a new nat­ural his­tory GCSE, which might help raise aware­ness, adding: 

“I hope the GCSE goes bey­ond ‘isn’t wild­life lovely’ and looks at the real­it­ies of con­ser­va­tion, and what we need to do to main­tain a bal­ance of deer in the coun­tryside.”

It's an interesting perspective... I wonder whether the final subject content and specification will allow for such discussions to take place.

#254: BASC: the British Association for Shooting and Conservation

When considering a specification on Natural History, an organisation which has the word "shooting" in its name may not seem like the obvious match. A friend worked for BASC many years ago, and explained how this might not seem such a problematic connection.

BASC: the British Association for Shooting and Conservation has a website which outlines their work.

BASC's Curtis Mossop explores the need for a GCSE in Natural History. BASC has been a supporter of the new qualification.

Part of this would be to have a space in the curriculum for considering the need for shooting.

As BASC says:

When you consider that shooting is involved in the management of two-thirds of the rural land area in the UK, we believe that land management activities need to be considered, and ultimately included, in the development of this new qualification.

BASC’s response to this consultation focused on fair representation of shooting and its associated land management practices. We encourage students to think holistically but also challenge their own moral compass: “Is killing one species to save another okay?”.

We know this to be sound and scientifically proven. We have seen examples of this in nature like the curlew coming back from the brink of extinction. But would a teenager who has never visited the countryside understand this concept?

It will be interesting to see whether the final document offers opportunity for a nuanced look at alternative methods of countryside management.