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Beyond the headlines: The evidence behind BASC’s response to Defra
BASC’s Dr Cat McNicol discusses the science behind BASC’s overarching submission to Defra’s call for evidence and why growing the evidence base for sustainable shooting is a responsibility we all share.
What does the evidence really tell us about gamebird rearing, release and shooting? Answering that question takes more than reading a handful of scientific papers. It means understanding the research, examining its strengths and limitations, recognising where evidence is incomplete, and bringing it together with the experience and knowledge of those involved in the sector.
That was the approach behind BASC’s response to Defra’s call for evidence on all aspects of game shooting in England. Our science and gamebird teams undertook a wide-ranging review of scientific literature, alongside an assessment of evidence relating to the ecological, environmental and practical aspects of gamebird release and shooting. Alongside this work, more than 26,000 people submitted their own experiences and observations, providing important insights into how shooting and associated land management are undertaken across the country.
Bringing these strands together drew on BASC’s scientific expertise, technical knowledge and direct connection with the shooting community. Here, we look at the evidence we examined, what the research tells us, and why building a stronger evidence base is a shared responsibility.
Looking beyond individual studies
A central part of BASC’s response was an extensive review of scientific literature. This involved revisiting research considered in previous evidence reviews, examining studies published since those reviews, and identifying additional research relevant to the topics covered by the call for evidence.
The aim was not simply to collect studies that supported one particular position. It was to understand what the research actually showed, how reliable the findings were, where their findings agreed or differed, and where important gaps remained.
The review considered how the evidence base had developed since previous assessments, including new research on the ecological effects of gamebird releasing, gamebird movements and dispersal, disease risks and interactions with other wildlife. This included research from the Defra Gamebird Research Programme, alongside studies commissioned by BASC and other organisations. Our specialists examined the methods, strength and relevance of these findings, considering not just what individual studies reported, but what they could reliably tell us about gamebird management in practice.
Understanding these distinctions is essential. A scientific paper cannot be judged by its headline finding alone. Its methods, limitations, context and relevance all need to be considered. This is the work that BASC’s scientific, legal and gamebird specialists undertook to produce a balanced assessment of the evidence, rather than relying on individual studies or selected findings in isolation.
Making members' experiences count
Alongside the scientific review, BASC brought together more than 26,000 contributions from people involved in shooting, gamekeeping, beating, picking-up, farming, gundog work, land management and conservation. Collectively, these accounts provided insight into how shooting operates in different parts of the country and its connections with rural communities, businesses and individual livelihoods.
Rather than treating each account in isolation, we looked across the contributions to identify recurring themes, common experiences and differences. The themes included gamebird husbandry and welfare, habitat management, conservation work, shooting activity, employment, community involvement and the wider social and economic role of shooting.
These contributions provide a valuable picture of the breadth of experience and activity across the shooting community, offering practical context and insight that can complement published research and other sources of evidence.
Finding data within the stories
Alongside these experiences, many submissions also contained detailed measurements and figures such as extents of habitat creation, agri-environment scheme participation, wildlife counts, gamebird releases, predator management, expenditure and employment.
These figures help illustrate the scale and nature of activities being undertaken on shoots and estates, and the potential for this to contribute to a wider understanding of land management and wildlife. With appropriate context and interpretation, such records provide a useful source of information alongside formal scientific research.
Bringing the evidence base together
The response demonstrates the value of bringing different forms of evidence together. Scientific research helps us understand how wildlife and habitats respond to different management practices, practitioner experience provides insight into how management is delivered on the ground, and well-recorded data can help quantify activities and outcomes.
This is one of the strengths of BASC as a membership organisation. Our work is informed not only by scientific research, but by our ability to draw on the practical experience of people involved in shooting and conservation across the country. Bringing these perspectives together helps us understand both what the evidence tells us and how it relates to what is happening on the ground.
There is also an opportunity to build on the knowledge and experience demonstrated through the 26,000 contributions. We should be thinking about how we routinely record what we do: the habitats we create and manage, the wildlife we monitor, the work undertaken on our land, and the practical outcomes of our activities. If you manage a shoot or estate, keeping consistent records of this work is a valuable starting point. Over time, these records can help turn individual observations into information that can be compared, tested and used alongside formal scientific research.
Your membership supports the scientific expertise, technical advice and wider work that enable BASC to assess evidence, contribute to research and represent the practical experience of the shooting community. We will continue to bring scientific expertise and practical knowledge together to develop a stronger understanding of shooting and its relationship with the countryside. The evidence base is not built by one organisation or one research project. It is something the whole shooting community can help strengthen.
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Dr Cat McNicol
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