What shooting delivers for nature recovery

Read about the benefits that shooting brings for nature recovery, along with its environmental, economic and social impact in the UK.

What shooting delivers for nature recovery

Read about the benefits that shooting brings for nature recovery, along with its environmental, economic and social impact in the UK.

What difference does shooting make?

The connection between shooting and nature recovery may not be obvious on the face of it. However, you don’t have to look very far to see how intrinsically linked the two things are.

The work of the shooting sector to create and restore precious habitats, to enhance biodiversity, and to mitigate climate change cannot be underestimated, nor undervalued.

And the benefits don’t stop there. From being a lynchpin in fragile rural economies, to curbing social challenges such as loneliness and isolation – there’s more to shooting than just pulling the trigger.

Capturing impact

BASC have published three sector-leading reports on what shooting delivers UK-wide across a raft of areas aligned to government policy and targets. Key findings from the Value of Shooting Report 2024, the Natural Capital Benefits of Shooting report and Shooting and national nature recovery goals are detailed below.

The Value of Shooting

A collaboration between 24 rural organisations, the Value of Shooting Report 2024 updates on previous research carried out in 2014.

It was undertaken by Cognisense, an independent market research and data analytics firm, and was published in June 2024.

The report establishes the value of shooting’s contribution to the environment, economy and social landscape in the UK.

Value of Shooting Report 2024

Read the findings in full or download a copy of the report.

Key findings

620,000 individuals are actively involved in shooting-related activities.
Shooting providers and volunteers carry out £500 million worth of conservation work, equivalent to 26,000 full-time jobs and 14 million workdays each year.
Habitat management and conservation are carried out on 7.6 million hectares as a result of shooting.
Shooting is worth £3.3 billion (GVA) to the UK economy each year.
Through contribution in kind (CiK) and supply chain value, shooting generates £9.3 billion of wider economic activity is generated for the UK economy.
Shooters spend £4.4 billion on their UK-based supply chain each year.
Three out of four people who take part in shooting said that it is important to them and their personal wellbeing, with most stating shooting specifically contributes positively to their physical and mental health.

Generating natural capital

Natural capital is the sum of the financial and social benefits we derive from our natural environment.

BASC’s inaugural Natural Capital Benefits of Shooting report, compiled in 2023 in partnership with the Economics for the Environment Consultancy and Strutt & Parker, covers four key areas: carbon capture, public health savings, recreation, and food and forestry.

Together, the natural capital benefits brought about by shooting every year total £1.1 billion.

Key findings

Carbon sequestration – valued at £382 million
Public health savings – valued at £64 million
Recreation – valued at £607 million
Food and forestry – valued at £100 million

Natural Capital Benefits of Shooting

Read the full report to discover the benefits of shooting's influence on the environment.

Shooting and national nature recovery goals

BASC’s whitepaper, Shooting and national nature recovery goals, demonstrates that shooting can incentivise practices such as hedgerow restoration to help birds, insects and mammals to thrive. In addition, game cover crops also provide a boost to farmland ecosystems.

The report highlights the importance of deer management in woodland regeneration and reducing emissions from degraded land, the part of shooting estate in managing extensive areas of peatland, and the potential role of shooting in the management of habitats such as wetlands.

Key proposals

To expand on shooting’s current contribution, the report outlines a clear set of proposals:

- Investment in research to better quantify and demonstrate shooting’s environmental value;
- Stronger collaboration between the shooting sector, government agencies, and conservation bodies;
- Closer integration with environmental land management schemes.

Shooting and national nature recovery goals

Read BASC's whitepaper to find out more about shooting's role in nature recovery.

Read latest our case studies

Whether conducting or commissioning scientific research to fill knowledge gaps around sustainable shooting, or by funding projects to improve habitats for threatened species, BASC – and our membership – takes a proactive approach to nature recovery.