Ensuring cultural recognition for shooting

BASC’s Patrick O’Reilly discusses the government’s Living Heritage Lists and why we must ensure that shooting is recognised within them.

For centuries, heritage protection has focused on physical objects, buildings and monuments. Far less attention has been given to living heritage. This includes the practices, traditions, pastimes, skills and crafts that shape communities and give places their character.

That began to change in the late twentieth century. A major step came with the UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Ratified by more than 180 countries, the convention requires signatories to identify and protect living heritage through national inventories. It also established a global list recognising traditions of international importance.

The inventories cover a wide range of activities. They include sports, crafts, music, clothing traditions and food. In several countries, fieldsports and related rural practices already feature on these lists, reflecting their role in local identity and community life.

The UK approach

The UK ratified the convention in 2024, later than many other countries. One reason was the challenge of reflecting the different traditions across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The government has now committed to separate living heritage lists for each nation. The first call for submissions opened on 5 December 2025, with proposals due by 27 March 2026.

Many BASC members may feel that shooting needs no official recognition to justify its place in society. Its importance to those who take part is well understood. However, formal recognition matters.

Across the world, traditional land uses are often recognised for the knowledge and skills they pass on. In the UK, the traditions that have shaped our own rural and coastal landscapes receive far less attention. Shooting is one of those traditions. It brings together long-established practices, shared standards of behaviour and practical knowledge that have developed over centuries.

In its many forms, including wildfowling, pigeon shooting, game shooting and deer stalking, shooting supports livelihoods and specialist skills. It also underpins land management that maintains habitats and wildlife. Alongside this sit related traditions such as British gunmaking, tweed weaving and gundog trials.

Economic pressures, policy change and shifting public attitudes all affect rural life. Without recognition and record, there is a risk that the knowledge and practices behind shooting are overlooked or lost.

What BASC is doing

We believe that BASC members must be part of the discussion about living heritage. Since the spring, the association has been developing work in this area. In September, BASC began consulting members, gathering evidence and working with other organisations to reflect the breadth of shooting and rural heritage across the UK.

This work will support submissions to the living heritage lists. It will also help record and share the stories that show how shooting continues to shape landscapes, communities and culture today.

The current process offers a clear opportunity to set out shooting’s place as a living tradition, rooted in the past and active in the present. Recognition now will help ensure that this knowledge and practice remain part of the UK’s shared heritage for generations to come.

To get involved or find out more, please contact patrick.o’reilly@basc.org.uk.

Patrick O’Reilly is BASC’s head of social science. His role includes working to improve recognition of shooting as an important part of cultural life and making the case for its inclusion in all four of the UK’s national living heritage lists.