From: Steve 
Newsgroups: uk.d-i-y uk.education.misc uk.education.schools-it uk.finance uk.food+drink.misc uk.food+drink.real-ale
Subject: CONservation hooliganism at work. RSPB slaughter deer in heavy cull at Abernethy.
Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2006 17:01:32 +0100

Abernethy
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) enormous 12,450
hectare Abernethy Reserve on Speyside in the Cairngorms protects "most
of the largest remaining tract of native Caledonian pinewood"(35) -
some 15% (1070 hectares) of the total. As with most of the other
widely scattered pinewood fragments, overgrazing is keeping it in a
poor and declining state of ecological health. The RSPB's objective is
to reverse the downward spiral, recreating "a self-sustaining native
pine forest over the whole potential woodland area, by leaving
existing... woodland unmanaged [and]... encouraging natural
regeneration of pine and associated broadleaves".(36) Ultimately this
should see trees and scrub creeping back up to and beyond the natural
tree line. Grazing by sheep is no longer permitted, and plantations of
exotic conifers are being removed. Most of the extraneous tracks and
drainage operations are now being rehabilitated, "encouraging
vegetation to spread over... track surfaces by replacing soil and
plant material... and blocking and infilling drainage channels to
restore water tables in mires."(37) However, the RSPB don't approve of
deer fencing (one of the main aids to forest recovery in Glen Affric -
see above, p. 174), partly because it kills black grouse and the
extremely rare capercaillie. Thus they have relied upon implementing a
very heavy deer cull, which began in 1989. (For comments on this, see
Glen Finglas profile, p. 176) Whatever the merits of this policy, the
first signs are that the forest is starting to flourish again. 

RSPB Abernethy Forest Reserve 
Forest Lodge 
Nethybridge 
Invernesshire PH25 3EF 
Tel: 01479 821409