Keeping their promises
Sir: Matt Ridley is right to assert the conservation role of gamekeepers (‘Ruffled feathers’, 30 May). They, like farmers and crofters, know wading birds are integral to Britain’s rich cultural landscapes. All ground-nesting birds benefit from culling generalist predators. I do this on my croft at my own expense because I love waders and passerines. Where costs cannot be borne by individual goodwill or taxpayer-funded grants, shooting provides a sound economic case for funding the vital combination of predator control and habitat management.
A keeper’s livelihood depends on his ability to prove consistent competence in these two skills. In contrast, government and charity employees suffer no personal consequences from the ongoing decline of the curlew. If their pay was tied to annual curlew productivity, pragmatism would soon triumph over ideology.
Julia Stoddart
Isle of Skye, Highland
