Could shooting more provide an answer to the climate crisis?

Last Friday saw thousands - possibly millions - inspired by Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, take to the streets for the Global Climate Strike, a day of protest urging governments to take action to head off the global climate crisis. But what if I told you that shooting more could help tackle the problem of rising global temperatures? It might not please George Monbiot et al, but it could well be true.

Ahead of the climate strikes, Monbiot and Thunberg released a video calling upon governments to pay more attention to what they term ‘Natural Climate Solutions’, which in plain English means protecting and restoring natural carbon sinks. “There is a magic machine,” says Monbiot in the film, “that sucks carbon out of the air, costs very little, and builds itself. It’s called a tree.” While the language may be a bit patronising, the point is a serious one - to really tackle the climate crisis, it will take more than just reducing our use of fossil fuels - we need to restore the planet’s natural carbon stores too, to remove carbon from the atmosphere and lock it away. A recent study by a Swiss university concluded that planting billions of trees could be the most effective way to reduce atmospheric carbon, while a new campaign from the Woodland Trust urges one million people to plant a tree on 30th November as part of the Big Climate Fight Back.

 

Here’s the bit Monbiot might not like: as much as 60% of new woodland planted in the UK is planted for shooting purposes. According to the same figures, nearly 70% of properties managed for shooting have planted new woods, versus 19% on properties that are not managed for shooting. Furthermore, woodland managed for shooting has greater biodiversity than woodland that is unmanaged, for example supporting more species of butterflies, shrubs and a greater density of flowering shrubs. Perhaps most importantly, game shooting provides a strong incentive for landowners and managers to plant new woods and to manage their existing woodland well. Its a virtuous circle - more shooting means more woods, which in turn means more shooting. Obviously the climate crisis is a teensy bit more complex than this, but every little helps.

 

Given that the UK government has repeatedly failed to meet its own tree-planting targets (by 71% in 2018/19), the value of planting by private landowners is all the greater.

 

Ancient woodland is preserved and managed for shooting
(image - Stuart Mack Photography)

We know from the results of the 2019 Shooting Census (more on that soon!) that a great many guns are keen conservationists. What’s more, the suspicion is that a huge amount of conservation work goes on on syndicates and farm shoots that no-one ever hears about. This ties in with something that we mentioned in our GameCard newsletter a few weeks back, when we encouraged members to get in touch with the wildlife encounters that they have had while out shooting, after our Director of Sales Frank Stephenson waxed lyrical about spotting a whole host of different birds of prey while walking up grouse in Scotland.

New woods are often planted for shooting purposes

Just as anglers see themselves as ‘custodians of the riverbank’, often being the first to notice pollution incidents and changes in the local ecology, the shooting community, everyone from shoot owners to beaters to guns, is at the forefront of the climate crisis response, thanks to the time, effort and money we all put into caring for the natural world. This makes it all the more important that we continue - and encourage - this good work and that we make a point of highlighting the often unsung work carried out by gamekeepers, syndicates and landowners up and down the country.

For shoot owners and managers, the Woodland Trust can offer advice and even funding for large-scale planting programmes. And for guns who are concerned about both the future of shooting and the planet, there’s a simple step you can take: shoot more often.