THOUSANDS of Scotland's rural workers will be put on the dole if a new campaign succeeds in getting a grouse shooting ban, gamekeepers have warned.
The caution has come as the Revive coalition, an alliance of campaigners, scientists and policy advocates from the fields of social justice, conservation, animal welfare and environmental protection, today prepare to come together to present the case for the reform of Scottish grouse moors - which make up almost a fifth of Scotland's land mass.
The group say it is the first time organisations have come together in this way driven by the "shared goal of taking back ownership of Scotland’s uplands and making the vision of reform a reality".
Chris Packham the broadcaster and naturalist is due to speak at tomorrow evening's launch at The Royal Society Of Edinburgh headquarters in Scotland's capital.
Campaigners claim this land is intensively managed to create a habitat suitable for one wild species, the red grouse, which they say is "effectively farmed to be shot for entertainment".
To support grouse shooting, intensive land management techniques are employed to ensure estates yield large numbers of the birds to increase bag sizes at commercial shoots, they argue.
These include heather burning, rigorous predator control, mountain hare persecution and the construction of roads and tracks.
But the Scottish Gamekeepers Association has said the new coalition's campaign will hit thousands of workers who are directly employed in grouse shooting which is estimated to be be worth £32 million to the Scottish economy and supports 2640 full jobs in remote areas.
A Scottish Gamekeepers Association spokesman said: “Despite the veneer, the majority of these organisations and individuals have never been interested in ‘reform’. People should not be fooled. This is a wrecking ball campaign by a cohort seeking to ban grouse shooting and to put thousands of Scotland’s rural workers and their families on the dole.
“Over the coming weeks, while government independently reviews grouse shooting, we expect the track record of tactics which has seen members within this group covertly filming land managers undertaking legal activities and spreading misinformation in a bid to get the result they crave.
“Those seeking to use their charitable lobbying influence in Edinburgh to kill off livelihoods should take responsibility for the consequences and provide alternative employment for the lives they will wreck."
Speaking ahead of the launch Revive, Mr Packham said: "There is no doubt that we all deserve and need better uplands, a prosperous place for wildlife and people - and that is far from impossible.
"But making that turn will need a suite of skills and energies - and that's why I am keen to help inaugurate this partnership. Dead, burned and barren has to go - Scotland's hills should be alive."
Green MSP Andy Wightman, an adviser to the coalition, said: "It is time for a fundamental shift away from this damaging land use to more sustainable alternatives."
Revive senior campaigner Max Wiszniewski said: "The aim of the Revive coalition is simple, we want significant reform of Scotland's grouse moors to benefit our environment, our communities and our wildlife.
"However, in reality this ask is anything but simple which is why we are excited to be working with a number of partners across a spectrum of issues to tackle the problems associated with intensive management of this land.
"We are under no illusion that this will be a short campaign, but we have laid the foundations to take the first steps towards reform and we relish the challenges ahead.
"This is the first time organisations have come together in this way and our partners did so with no hesitation.
"It's time we took back ownership of Scotland's uplands and make our vision of reform a reality."
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