BY CALUM CAMPBELL
Last week, we examined the RSPB’s catastrophic mismanagement of the Abernethy reserve and their shameful treatment of experienced gamekeepers who turned up to help fight the wildfires ravaging the Cairngorms. In the interests of balance, the RSPB were given the opportunity to air their response through their official channels. They have since published an article titled “Wildfires and Conservation”, promising to “separate fact from fiction”. Let us do precisely that.
The Propaganda Machine
The RSPB excel at propaganda. They spend a fortune on PR. They tell the public how things are and how they are going to correct all the wrongs in the bird world. If there were an Advertising Standards Authority whose principles they had to adhere to, they would forever be correcting their stories. Their narrative about reserve management and wildfire response sounds professional and convincing—to the majority of members who simply don’t know any better.
Their article begins by acknowledging that wildfires are increasing worldwide due to climate change, and that discarded litter, disposable barbecues, campfires, fireworks, and deliberate fire-setting all contribute. This much is true. However, they conveniently omit the uncomfortable truth: these warnings have been sounded for long enough to give the RSPB and others time to adapt. Time to be ready. Time to prepare.
Yet when the fire came, they were found wanting.
The Abernethy Reality
The RSPB states that across all their reserves, they have “comprehensive long established and regularly reviewed processes in place to help prevent fires, respond rapidly when they occur, and strengthen the resilience of the landscape we care for.”
I cannot speak for Minsmere or Dove Stone. But for Abernethy in the Cairngorms, I can speak with certainty. The RSPB have abandoned any meaningful land management on the hill ground—approximately 24,000 acres of the 34,500-acre reserve.
No deer. No sheep. No heather burning.
The result is old, rank heather with a colossal fuel load that offers no benefit to nature or wildlife. No fire breaks. No fire watching during times of extreme fire likelihood. And when experienced gamekeepers arrived with fire-fighting equipment at the Nethy Bridge muster point on Saturday 1st August, nobody from the RSPB or the Cairngorms National Park could even direct them where to go. They sat all day in a field, their valuable skills and equipment unused, before eventually going home.
Refusing Help, Ignoring Advice
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and experienced gamekeepers advised creating fire breaks with diggers out on the hill ground to stop the wildfire. The RSPB refused. An organisation with no experience in fighting wildfires refused those with the experience to do their best. After the fire, the same diggers could have reinstated the ground. But the RSPB seemed to find the alternative—the fire spreading to new areas—perfectly acceptable.
According to the RSPB, “Many UK landscapes have been altered over generations in ways that have left them ecologically degraded and more susceptible to fire.”
I would argue the exact opposite. Abernethy was previously managed in a way that suited that environment. Under RSPB ownership, it has been left to degrade. It is of no benefit to wildlife and has proven to be a catastrophic fire risk.
The Rewetting Myth
“Peatlands have been drained and damaged leaving them more vulnerable to drying out and burning,” the RSPB continues. “By restoring these peatlands and raising water levels—a technique called rewetting—we can help keep peat wet and reduce its susceptibility to fire.”
I have no objection to blocking drains where erosion is the problem. But rewetting moors does not stop fire. I showed photographs last year of the Dava fire burning over ground so wet that water seeped up to ankle height. Marsden Moor has been rewetted, yet it has suffered wildfires. Rewetting does not stop summer wildfires. Anyone who knows moorland can see that drains only dry out a couple of feet on either side. The claim that rewetting is a wildfire solution does not stand up to scrutiny.
Woodland Myths
“Restoring native woodland and improving the overall health and diversity of habitats can help create landscapes that are more resilient,” the RSPB claims. This sounds convincing until you examine the evidence.
Part of the Abernethy wildfire burned through native woodland, where tree roots are still smouldering and are extremely difficult to extinguish. These trees did not stop the fire. Moreover, science has now proven that trees growing on peatland soils do not increase carbon storage. Studies show that trees on these soils store as much as 50% less carbon compared to moorland without trees.
A Sign of Contempt
And then there is this sign. Here is a photograph of the welcome awaiting firefighters at the RSPB Abernethy base at Forest Lodge:
“ADHERE TO SIGNAGE ON DOCS,” it reads. “RESTRICTED ACCESS AREAS. DO NOT ENTER. DURING THE NIGHT, ACCESS IS RESTRICTED TO MEETING ROOM ONLY!!! USE SIRS WELFARE UNIT. NO ACCESS TO FOREST LODGE KITCHEN.”
This is how the RSPB treats the very people risking their lives to save their reserve. This sign speaks volumes about the organisation’s attitude—a petty, bureaucratic contempt for those who actually know how to manage the land and fight its fires.
Learning from Failure?
The RSPB concludes: “As we respond to recent wildfire events, we are also committed to learning from them.”
Time will tell. I will not hold my breath.
The First Minister for Scotland has hopefully realised that the current push to clear Scotland’s Highlands of deer, sheep and people is increasing the threat of wildfires. Perhaps now, with the evidence burning before our eyes, the RSPB will finally listen to those who have been warning them for decades. Perhaps they will stop treating gamekeepers and local people with contempt and start learning from the very people who have been managing these landscapes successfully for generations.
The question is: how many more acres must burn before they do?
Calum Campbell is a commentator on rural and environmental issues in Scotland.