BY BERT BURNETT

The recent final report on the Cairngorms Capercaillie Project, presented by Andy Ford, Director for Nature and Climate Change, reads like a self-serving obituary penned by a notorious highwayman.  After a staggering £16 million public expenditure and a 75% decline in the capercaillie population over the last two decades, the report boldly claims the project’s success.  This audacious declaration feels like Dick Turpin claiming he wasn’t robbing stagecoaches, merely giving the horses a well-deserved rest.

While the report boasts of achieving all project targets and exceeding quantitative goals, the reality paints a far bleaker picture. The report conveniently downplays the stark reality of capercaillie decline, instead focusing on community engagement and habitat improvement. It’s a textbook case of shifting goalposts, conveniently ignoring the project’s primary objective: capercaillie conservation.

It’s alarming that despite a demonstrable 75% reduction in the capercaillie population, the project claims success. The report even goes so far as to state that increasing capercaillie numbers was never a quantified target. This blatant disregard for the project’s core purpose raises serious questions about the integrity of the project’s management.

The project’s refusal to address the main driver of capercaillie decline – predation – is particularly concerning. Best available evidence clearly points to predation as a key factor in the species’ decline, yet the project stubbornly refused to implement a program to reduce this pressure.

The report, claiming that the project followed best available evidence, rings hollow. Their decision to ignore the undeniable evidence of predation is a clear indication that their priority was not the capercaillie but rather their own continued employment.

It is clear that the project’s “success” hinges on a distorted interpretation of its objectives. The report glosses over the dramatic decline in capercaillie numbers, focusing instead on a narrow set of secondary objectives. This blatant disregard for the core issue, coupled with the refusal to acknowledge the role of predation, raises serious questions about the project’s integrity and its commitment to true capercaillie conservation.

This report is a slap in the face to those who genuinely care about the capercaillie. It is a shameful example of a project that has failed to deliver on its promises, leaving behind a trail of wasted public funds and a critically endangered species on the brink of extinction.

This project is a stark reminder of the importance of transparent and accountable conservation efforts, driven by sound science and genuine commitment to protecting our natural heritage. We cannot afford to allow such blatant distortions of reality to masquerade as success. The Cairngorms Capercaillie Project, despite its millions of pounds in funding, has not been a success, and the responsibility for this failure rests squarely on those who have misled the public and ignored the scientific evidence.

Bert Burnett is a retired gamekeeper of more than fifty years experience.