← Back to the claimsCommon claims
What the evidence says
“Shooting destroys the countryside.”
What the evidence says
- The Value of Shooting 2024 estimates that around 7.6 million hectares of UK land had habitat and wildlife management or other conservation work carried out as a result of shooting in 2022 (page 16).
- A BASC report on natural capital says land used for game and waterfowl shooting overlaps with priority habitats more than average, at 20 to 28 per cent of the land (page 4).
What the evidence does not show
- The 7.6 million hectares figure measures the area where work takes place. It does not measure the condition of that land or the results of the work.
- The natural capital report says the data are weak, missing, uncertain or contested for peatland management (including burning and cutting), wildfire risk, flooding, water resources and upland biodiversity (page 14). We do not use it to make claims on those subjects.
- Both reports come from shooting organisations or were commissioned by them. Evidence from other sources on these questions is not yet in our evidence set.
Source
The Value of Shooting 2024, summary report. Research by Cognisense, commissioned by 24 shooting and countryside organisations, with BASC as lead partner. Page 16.
The natural capital benefits of shooting. Published by BASC, with eftec and Strutt & Parker’s research team. Values in 2023 prices. No publication date is given in the report. Pages 4 and 14.
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