FROM WILD JUSTICE - A NEED TO KNOW READ FROM SHOOTING BIRDS TO OVERGRAZING ON DARTMOOR

Good morning, Today’s newsletter brings you a reminder about the consultation on bird shooting seasons, as well as other updates including a consultation on so-called trail hunting and a campaign to save Great Crested Newts. The shooting season of Woodcock – consultation closes soon: The Government recently launched a consultation on proposed changes to Schedule 2 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, which governs which bird species can be shot, and when. The proposals cover species including Goldeneye, Pintail and Woodpigeon and are quite nuanced and technical, often with different changes proposed in different parts of the UK. This consultation was launched in part thanks to our campaigning and your support around limiting the shooting of Woodcock. Now we have the chance to see those changes actually happen, alongside several other positive changes for a range of bird species. The consultation closes this Sunday, 17th May. Many of you have already taken the time to respond — thank you. If you haven't yet done so, we'd really appreciate it if you could find a moment to respond before Sunday. We've reviewed Defra's proposals in detail and summarised our thoughts on each proposed change in our guidance notes, which we hope will help you formulate your own response. Click here to read our blog, where you'll find guidance on responding question by question. Wild Justice in the news: ‘What the Dartmoor ‘overgrazing ruling’ means for statutory bodies in England’. In March we heard the news that the High Court had ruled in our favour on our legal challenge about overgrazing on Dartmoor. In the case, we argued that ecologically valuable (and protected) areas of the National Park were being failed by the body responsible for looking after them. This week some analysis of the case has featured in the Environment Journal, that has published a detailed piece on the implications of the High Court ruling. The article quotes our CEO, Bob Elliot, who points out that upland areas like Dartmoor are among the most marginal farming land in the UK, covering vast areas while contributing relatively little food production. Our argument is that the public (who have subsidised this farming through their taxes) deserves an honest conversation about whether these landscapes could deliver a greater societal benefit if managed differently, particularly in terms of nature recovery and carbon storage. We are clear that this is not a call to end grazing, but a challenge to the assumption that farming must remain the primary use of our uplands. The article also highlights the wider significance of the ruling, noting that it sets a precedent for other statutory bodies managing similar landscapes across England, including on Exmoor, in the Lake District and in the New Forest. All can now expect greater scrutiny and pressure to demonstrate that their decisions are properly evidence-based. You can read the article by clicking here. A reminder about the consultation on so-called trail hunting: Last month we drew your attention to another consultation, this time looking at the implementation of a ban on so-called trail hunting - see here. Trail hunting is supposed to be a substitute for Fox hunting (which was banned under the Hunting Act 2004 by the previous Labour government) where, theoretically at least, hounds follow an artificial scent trail laid by humans. However, many groups have, over years, provided significant evidence that trail hunting is being used as a smokescreen to conceal ongoing Fox hunting, which has ultimately led to the Labour party’s commitment to ban it. Over 300 campaigners attended a rally outside Westminster last weekend, organised by the League Against Cruel Sports, calling for an end to the trail hunting lie. We were happy to join them and we applaud the efforts of the League, the Hunt Saboteurs and many others who have worked tirelessly to expose the illegality and appalling cruelty associated with this ‘sport’. The consultation on how best to implement a taril hunting ban is open until 18 June 2026, so there’s still plenty of time to participate. The League Against Cruel Sports has produced some very helpful consultation guidance, which we’d recommend using to guide your response. You can find it by clicking here. A petition about Great Crested Newts – and much more: We’d like to draw your attention to the Save Our Newts campaign and ask you to support their petition. A significant development is threatening London's largest breeding colony of Great Crested Newts, in Glebelands Local Nature Reserve in Barnet. The proposed development — one of the densest in the country — could push the GC Newts to local extinction. The application is currently being considered by the Mayor of London and a decision is due by 27 May. Whilst a local issue, this case has potential repercussions greater than one nature reserve. Under growing pressure to hit housing targets, we’ve seen legal protections for wildlife being steadily eroded. The Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 allows developers to pay a levy instead of carrying out genuine habitat mitigation (see our criticism of this "cash to trash" system here), effectively letting money substitute for meaningful environmental protection. What happens at Glebelands will act as a test case for how seriously those protections are taken. If this development proceeds, it sends a signal to developers and planning authorities across the country that wildlife protections can simply be brushed aside when they become inconvenient. Please sign the petition to stand up for Glebelands, for Great Crested Newts, and for the principle that our remaining wild spaces deserve genuine protection. You can add your name by clicking here. That’s it for now! Thank you, Wild Justice (CEO: Bob Elliot. Directors: Chris Packham and Ruth Tingay). This is the 268th Wild Justice newsletter. This email was sent to you because you subscribed to it through the Wild Justice website or through an e-action or a petition where you ticked a box. Thank you. We will only use your personal details to send you the Wild Justice newsletter. We will not give or sell your details to anyone else. You can unsubscribe at any time: there is an unsubscribe button at the foot of this email or you can reply to this email and ask us to remove you from the list (the former will happen immediately, the latter might take a few days). 124, City Road London Greater London EC1V 2NX UNITED KINGDOM Unsubscribe | Change Subscriber Options