How a Kent shooting estate is ‘making space for nature’

LNRS Kent

Wide-ranging conservation work being carried out on a Kent shoot is set to become a case study for the county’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy.

Godmersham Park Estate recently welcomed Kent County Council’s Making Space for Nature team members Chris Drake and Rachel Boot. It was an opportunity to show them how shooting and conservation go hand in hand.

The invitation followed the consultation on Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS), to which BASC responded. With funding from Defra, Kent County Council has been developing the Kent and Medway LNRS since 2023.

LNRS are plans developed with input from local people to prioritise action for habitat and species enhancement in their area. Each plan includes an opportunity map to show where action will have the most impact. Local authorities are required to produce them under the Environment Act 2021. The aim is to create a nature recovery network to help government hit environmental targets for England.

With more than 4,000 BASC members in Kent, it was an important opportunity to show local policymakers what shooting contributes to the environment and conservation across the county.

A 'three-legged stool' approach

Estate manager Ben Palmer and gamekeeper Adam Horn gave an overview of the extensive conservation work carried out at Godmersham. The focus over the past ten years has been on four key areas: wetlands, woodland, chalk downland and margins/hedgerows. The aim is to maximise biodiversity without harming the character or overall profitability of the estate.

The estate, which is located near Canterbury, has taken a ‘three-legged stool’ approach to conservation, creating habitat like wader scrapes, making wild bird food available year-round and controlling predators.

Work carried out has included:

  • bringing 50 acres of farmland into a Higher Lever Countryside Stewardship Scheme
  • planting nearly four miles of new hedgerows
  • creating three miles of beetle banks
  • establishing three miles of wildflower margins, 15 acres of wild bird seed mixes and eight acres of pollen and nectar-rich plots
  • fencing round the estate to stop damage from deer browsing
  • stepping up control of foxes, grey squirrels, mink, corvids and rats
  • changing how 100 acres of downland banks are managed, to improve their wildlife value
  • releasing hares 
  • erecting more than 400 bird boxes

The result has been a significant increase in the number of wild birds including grey partridge, lapwing, barn owls, nightingales and kestrels. Hares now number more than 100.

KCC team visit godmersham

Targeting gamekeeping

The Kent County Council team could see exactly what BASC had communicated in their response to the LNRS. The visit underlined how sustainable shooting is an integral part of effective nature recovery.

This included a better understanding of the role of the shooting community and the outstanding work of gamekeepers in supporting local biodiversity. The estate is proud to boast the return of several key species like lapwing and nightingale.

Chris Drake, Kent’s Making Space for Nature project officer, thanked BASC for contributing to the consultation on the LNRS. “It was important that a wide cross-section of the land management sector were involved in shaping the Strategy,” he said.

“Following this, it was a pleasure to be invited to Godmersham Park Estate to meet Ben and Adam in September. They both clearly know the area intimately and have vastly improved the fortunes of wildlife there in recent years. The quality and range of the habitats and number of scarce species that are now thriving there was most impressive.

“We will publish the Strategy at the end of 2025 and will be working with stakeholders across the county in taking it forward. As part of this, we look forward to returning to the estate in the spring for a case study which will accompany the LNRS.”

Delivering biodiversity gains

Kent and Medway’s LNRS will be one of 48 formulated across England following the Environment Act 2011.

Ben Palmer said: “It was a pleasure to host Chris and Rachel as they edge closer to finalising the Kent and Medway LNRS. We really enjoyed their enthusiasm and were delighted that they recognised the fundamental importance of the shoot in helping to deliver the biodiversity gains that we have achieved across the Estate in recent years. We look forward to welcoming them back in the future.”

Felicity Winters, BASC regional officer, said: “We were delighted to facilitate this opportunity for the local nature recovery officers. The practical conservation work that estates like Godmersham Park undertake showcases how shooting can uplift habitat and species recovery.”

Fun fact: Godmersham Park was often visited by Jane Austen and is thought to have inspired her novel Mansfield Park.

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