
Black grouse: conservation review work 2009-2012
Between 2009-2012, the RSPB, alongside Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) and the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT), supported two black grouse review projects - the updated Calladine review and the Conservation Review Project.

Objectives
- Project 1 - The updated Calladine review: To summarise the level of supporting evidence for black grouse management prescriptions, as identified by conservation staff, from published literature and current knowledge. This work is an update of the original Calladine review, published in 2002.
- Project 2 - The conservation review project: To appraise the extent of black grouse monitoring, agri-environment support and dedicated conservation work, across Scotland.
Key Dates
To complete the above objectives, the black grouse project officer gathered all available information on black grouse:
- Literature
- Monitoring
- Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP) spend
- Conservation work.
Recommendations were provided to the recently reinvigorated black grouse SBAP group.
Progress
- A range of management prescriptions are currently advocated for black grouse conservation. However, the level of supporting evidence for each of these varies.
- Within Scotland, an estimated 50 per cent of the 1991 Breeding Bird Atlas range has been monitored between 2001-11, with an aggregated number of 4,713 males recorded by the most recent surveys.
- Under SRDP, more than £100 million has been committed through Rural Priority options of potential black grouse benefit, with more than £8 million of this from the black grouse package.
- Within Scotland, black grouse conservation has been delivered through five specialist recovery projects between 2007-2012, alongside management on at least 12 nature reserves and 22 forests on the national estate. These figures, however, are probably an underestimate on the extent of black grouse management in Scotland.
Planned Work
- Considering the feasibility of a national monitoring scheme.
- Improving future resource targeting.
- Producing a research strategy for the next five years.
Download
RSPB report to Forestry Commission Scotland, the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust and Scottish Natural Heritage. Date: 14 November 2013. PDF, 2.01Mb
Black grouse conservation review: Monitoring in ScotlandRSPB report to Forestry Commission Scotland, the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust and Scottish Natural Heritage. Date: 14 November 2013. PDF, 2.86Mb
Black grouse conservation review: Scotland Rural Development Programme spendRSPB report to Forestry Commission Scotland, the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust and Scottish Natural Heritage. Date: 14 November 2013. PDF, 1.22Mb
Black grouse conservation review: Conservation effort in ScotlandDate: 14 November 2013. PDF, 1.02Mb
A Review of Management Prescriptions for Black Grouse in Britain: An update and revisionContacts
