Two of the government organisations involved with wildlife management in Scotland are set to merge this summer
Reform of the public sector will see the merger in August of the Deer Commission for Scotland (DCS) with Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH).
The organisations have been working towards the merger since the Scottish Government announced in 2008 that they planned to bring together a number of public bodies in Scotland. The union of SNH and the DCS will create a stronger organisation. It will
combine the skills and experience of staff in order to provide a better service for customers, particularly those with an interest in deer and deer management. It means also that deer management in Scotland can be taken forward in the context of broader nature and landscape issues, rather than as a separate activity. In addition, the new merged organisation will be more cost-efficient through
having only one business to run rather than two separate bodies. And SNH and DCS already share the same headquarters building in Inverness, so the upheaval for staff has been kept to a minimum. “The merging of SNH and DCS creates an organisation that will be more
effective and efficient at looking after all of nature for all of Scotland,” commented Ian Jardine, chief executive of SNH. “We’ll be taking forward the full range of actions previously dealt with by the
DCS, which means that SNH will now have a bigger role in wildlife management. We want to ensure that Scotland’s wildlife is managed in a sustainable way so that our rich natural resources remain for future generations to enjoy.” The term ‘wildlife management’ is an important one. As a result of the merger,
“The merging of SNH and DCS creates an organisation that will be more effective and efficient”
SNH have set up a new wildlife management team, which will focus on the broad range of issues involved in the management of certain wild species found across Scotland – from our more remote, rural areas through to the heart of our towns and cities. Wildlife management can be a sensitive area of work as it often involves
catching, relocating or culling animals. This necessity has to be balanced with SNH’s commitment to look after and promote our rich, varied nature and landscapes, and also with the need for the highest standards of animal welfare. There are a number of wild animals and plants in Scotland that are actively
managed for food, sport, conservation and profit. Some species are managed to reduce the impact they have through damaging crops or other wildlife, such as mink.
Other species are managed to help their population and conservation, as we
have seen with the reintroduction of birds such as sea eagles and red kites. Some wild animals are also managed for commercial and recreational purposes and for profit, such as the management of grouse and deer populations for country sports. Our wildlife, including deer, is a major asset that we need to manage and look
after for conservation as well as economic purposes. Indeed, country sports in Scotland are the second largest primary land use (some 20%) after farming. After August, SNH will have a broader role in terms of wildlife management,
and this will contribute significantly to the organisation’s overall responsibility for helping people to understand, appreciate, value and enjoy all aspects of nature in Scotland.
www.snh.gov.uk 35
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