BY BERT BURNETT
The film “In Search of Science” (2018) showcases the remarkable variety of species discovered by international scientists on an Angus Glens estate. If you haven’t seen it, it’s well worth a watch. Produced by Pace Productions UK, the film documents visits to Glenogil Estate by German conservationist Dr Daniel Hoffman and his team from Game Conservancy Deutschland.
In total, 98 different bird species were found, earning the estate praise for its biodiversity, largely unseen in mainland Europe. Daniel Hoffman remarked, “We read papers and articles saying that species such as the curlew, a flagship species in nature conservation, are endangered in Britain, but you can’t believe that when you are here. We find golden plover with a high population density, and even on these few hectares here on Glenogil, we find almost double the number of breeding pairs that you find in the whole of Germany. They breed here because the landscape is managed as it is.”
Hoffman continued, “At Glenogil, you have habitat management and predation control, so the survival rate of our target species is so good. This creates a kind of donator population, and other areas will benefit from the work that is done here. If you have an area and say, ‘Oh, okay, we do nothing here,’ then you will lose biodiversity. We want to show that you have to do habitat management and predation control to have a high level of biodiversity from all different species.”
The film provides compelling evidence that contradicts the negative rhetoric and accusations from critics like Raptor Persecution UK (RPUK), run by the propagandist Ruth Tingay. Critics like her have repeatedly claimed that the Angus moors, along with others across Scotland, are ecological wastelands, allegedly ruined by burning and over-management.
Nonsense.
Glenogil Estate, in particular, should be commended for undertaking what is undoubtedly an expensive project to gather and present this comprehensive data. Despite inevitable attempts by RPUK and figures from the RSPB to dismantle and ridicule the film, their criticism has been recognised for what it is: petty, bigoted jealousy and anger at being exposed as deceptive.
The push for bans and licensing had largely been fuelled by these false claims about land management and results, leading to the Environment Minister calling for an investigation. In light of the evidence presented in the film, it is clear that it would be unwise to replace this effective, self-funded management with a government-led scheme funded by taxpayers.
The public should take note: despite the substantial financial resources—hundreds of millions in taxpayer money, lottery funding, and legacies—that organisations like the RSPB and other conservation charities have received over the years, they have not produced the same level of flora and fauna diversity in our uplands. In fact, compared to the thriving ecosystems of these moors, their managed lands appear to be the true ecological deserts.
This raises the question: what have these charities been spending their considerable funds on? Critics who have mocked the Angus Glens without ever visiting them should now reconsider their stance. Will they? When Hell freezes over.
Bert Burnett is a retired gamekeeper of more than fifty years experience.