Why the Glorious Twelfth is more than just the start of the grouse shooting season

It’s the Glorious Twelfth, start of the grouse shooting season, but those who manage the land have told of the ever-growing challenges that they face… from the climate to government intervention.

For many people, August 12th evokes images of Yorkshire’s purple heather-clad moors, spectacular landscapes and one of the country’s oldest rural traditions.

It marks the start of the grouse shooting season, but to see it simply as opening day is to miss the bigger picture.

The Twelfth is the culmination of a year’s work by gamekeepers and land managers who spend every season caring for some of England’s most treasured landscapes.

Their work doesn’t begin in August and end a few months later. It continues every day of the year, often in difficult weather and remote locations, delivering benefits that extend far beyond shooting interests.

For those of us who spend our lives working in the uplands, the grouse season represents the point at which months of careful habitat management come together.

Heather has been managed, lawful predator control undertaken, footpaths and access routes maintained, invasive species tackled and wildlife monitored.

These are practical conservation measures that support the health of the wider moorland ecosystem.

Yorkshire’s uplands are internationally important landscapes.

They provide habitat for iconic species including curlew, golden plover, lapwing and merlin, store vast quantities of carbon within their peat soils, supply drinking water to millions of people and attract visitors from across the country.

Protecting these landscapes requires active management rather than benign neglect.

This summer has provided a stark reminder of why that matters.

Once again, prolonged hot, dry weather has brought significant wildfires to Britain’s uplands.

Fire and rescue services have shown extraordinary professionalism in difficult conditions, supported by gamekeepers, farmers and estate staff who have volunteered equipment, local knowledge and countless hours helping to contain fires before they spread.

These incidents demonstrate an important truth. Wildfire resilience begins long before smoke appears on the horizon.

The intensity of a wildfire depends not only on how it starts but on what it has available to burn.

Heavy fuel loads of unmanaged vegetation can allow fires to spread rapidly across vast areas, threatening wildlife, peatlands, homes and the people tasked with tackling them.

That is why active vegetation management is so important.

Land managers have long used a combination of grazing, cutting and controlled cool burning to reduce fuel loads and create more resilient landscapes.

In many remote upland areas, where machinery simply cannot operate effectively, carefully planned controlled burning remains one of the most practical and effective management tools available.

There is an important distinction between controlled burning and wildfire that is sometimes lost in public debate.

Properly conducted controlled burns are carried out by trained professionals under strict regulation, in carefully chosen weather conditions.

They are designed to remove surface vegetation and encourage healthy regeneration.

Wildfires are the exact opposite: intense, unpredictable and destructive, capable of damaging peat, releasing stored carbon and devastating habitats.

As climate change brings more frequent periods of prolonged heat and drought, the question should not be whether we actively manage our uplands, but how we ensure those managing them have the tools needed to build resilience for the future.

That requires an evidence-led conversation rather than one driven by ideology.

Every upland landscape is different, and effective management often involves a combination of techniques depending on local conditions and conservation objectives.

But one principle should unite everyone with an interest in our countryside: landscapes left without appropriate management become increasingly vulnerable to the very threats we are all trying to prevent.

Of course, grouse shooting itself will continue to attract differing opinions. However, it is important that discussion about the future of our uplands recognises the wider contribution made by those who manage them every day.

The gamekeepers and land managers preparing for August 12th are also maintaining habitats for ground-nesting birds, supporting rural employment, helping safeguard internationally important peatlands and, increasingly, playing a crucial role in reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire.

That work deserves greater recognition.

As another grouse season begins, it is worth remembering that the landscapes people admire across the Yorkshire Dales, the North York Moors and the Pennines are not simply products of nature alone. They are landscapes shaped by generations of careful stewardship.

August 12th is therefore about much more than the first day of the grouse shooting season.

It is a reminder that healthy uplands require year-round management, practical conservation and the commitment of the people who know these landscapes best.

If we want our moors to remain rich in wildlife, resilient to wildfire and able to support rural communities for generations to come, we must recognise the value of that stewardship and ensure it continues into the future.