🔥 Uncontrolled wildfires emit approx. 10x more pollution than prescribed burns. Our latest analysis reveals why well-intentioned regulations might actually be making air quality worse in the long run. Read the full blog - link is in replies 👇

Incredible effort by the North York Moors estates staff! 👏 They raised nearly £10,000 split between Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team & Yorkshire Air Ambulance following a vital rescue on the moors. 🚁🚑 Huge thanks to everyone who donated to support these lifesaving services.

🌍 Peatlands are vital but not “climate saviours.” They hold vast carbon stocks, but sequestration potential is limited, site-specific & at risk from wildfire. Protecting what exists is more important than relying on hype. Link to blog in replies 👇

Boots on the Ground: How Predator Control is Saving the Curlew In the Antrim Plateau, active predator control has delivered: 🐣 69 fledged chicks (record-breaking) ✨ Avg of 4 chicks per brood 📍 Now home to 23% of NI’s entire Curlew population Read more - link in replies 👇

Winter has arrived in the North Pennines ❄️ The moors take on a whole new character, quieter, sharper, and full of life in ways you might not expect. Photo courtesy of Emily Graham Media.

Busy, busy, busy! This is conservation on a managed grouse moor. Everything that's happening in this video has been funded by grouse shoot days. Videos and images taken on Castle Bolton Estate, Wensleydale. Courtesy of Ian Sleightholm (Estate Conservation Manager & Headkeeper).

🐕 Robotic dogs are among the tactics researchers in Bradford are testing to assess how artificial intelligence can help predict and tackle wildfires: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

💸 £460m lost to wildfires in 2025 could have paid 13,975 new teacher salaries for a year, and new controlled burning restrictions have just increased the risk of more wildfires in the future.

What connects the Covid Inquiry to Upland Policy? 🧐 A dangerous pattern of silencing debate. Just as the Inquiry reveals how “awkward questions” were marginalised during Covid, we’re now seeing similar regarding wildfire risk. Read our latest blog – link in replies 👇

🌲 When a storm brought down a tree blocking the school bus yesterday, local gamekeepers stepped in immediately to clear the road. Just another example of the vital, practical support keepers provide to keep rural communities moving. Courtesy of Yorkshire Dales Moorland Group.

Did you know that financial damage from wildfires is 24x higher on unmanaged land? 🔥 New research quantifies the value of controlled burning vs. fire suppression. The results are undeniable: proactive fuel management pays. Read more - link is in replies 👇

Red grouse are looking well this time of year in their winter plumage, they are paired up. 🎞️ Video & words courtesy of Calderdale Moorland Group.

New Parliamentary Update 🏛️ We’ve collated the latest government responses on critical moorland issues: 🔥 Wildfire mitigation & firefighter safety 🦅 Hen Harrier recovery figures 🚜 The vital role of gamekeepers & farmers Read the full update - link is in replies 👇

✍️ NEW: Why is Defra launching a major peatland evidence review now? A review of this scale normally informs policy - yet it begins only after major policy decisions have already been taken. Read our latest blog - link is in comments 👇

✍️ Read our letter to The Guardian, following news of the government's tightening of regulations on wood-burning stoves:

🔥 Reducing PM2.5 means tackling wildfires, not just wood stoves. 2025 fires released pollution comparable to UK road transport. We need evidence-based management, like controlled burning, to reduce fuel loads and prevent these disasters. Read more on our blog - link is in comments 👇

💧🔥 Wildfire risk isn't static. New study shows "diurnal" moisture changes in heather & moss drive significant daily fluctuations in flammability. The study highlights the limit of static models and the value of real-time, local stewardship. Read more - link is in comments 👇

🐦 Natural England has listed the Red Grouse as a "bird of conservation concern" in new licences. This confirms that legal predator control is vital for protecting our endemic wildlife. Science wins. Read more - link is in comments 👇

🚨 UK wildfire strategy is "30 years behind" A fragmented system and ignored local expertise are putting firefighters and habitats at risk. We need a National Strategy that integrates practical land management and fuel reduction, rather than crisis management. Read more - Link is in comments 👇

Some beautiful grey partridge out looking for some breakfast. Always a pleasure to see this species thriving on our moors. 🎞️ Video courtesy of North Pennines Moorland Group.

The new Natural Resources Wales report delivers an urgent warning - allowing vegetation to overwhelm our uplands is driving species loss at an alarming rate. The evidence is overwhelming. Integrated management creates diverse habitats that species need and provides refuge from predation.

🌿 "Doing nothing" is failing nature. Natural Resources Wales reports that vegetation succession threatens 455 Welsh species. While unmanaged Berwyn saw Curlew drop 79%, managed moors support 12% of the UK population. Conservation requires active stewardship, not abandonment. Link is in comments 👇

📷 Courtesy of Nidderdale Moorland Group. A chilly start to the week as the first fall of snow carpeted the higher areas of the dale.

🔥 We’ve obtained internal Natural England guidance banning staff from tackling fires larger than 1m². A 50cm flame limit prevents early intervention. While gamekeepers suppress these quickly, NE staff must wait for fire engines. In remote moors, delay = disaster. Read more - link is in comments 👇

🔥 The @fbunational.bsky.social is right: fire services are overstretched. But suppression is only half the fix. Without managing the fuel accumulating in our uplands, we are fighting a losing battle. We need a strategy that supports firefighters AND land managers. Read more - link is in comments 👇

Dr. Andreas Heinemeier on the subject of controlled burning: "It's not peatland burning, if anything, it actually prevents the peatland from burning. It burns the surface vegetation in a prescribed way to counteract the risk of a catastrophic wildfire."

🔬 Evidence over opinion. Dr. Andreas Heinemeyer’s research challenges the "do nothing" approach to peatlands. Find out more - link is in comments 👇

📷 Courtesy of Forest of Bowland Moorland Group.

🌿 New BTO study confirms active management is vital for Curlews. GPS tracking in the Yorkshire Dales shows "near-stable" populations (0.62 fledglings/pair) thanks to predator control and keeper/farmer collaboration. Strong evidence that working conservation delivers results. Link is in comments 👇

🔥 England’s moorlands face a critical choice. Restrictions since 2021 have slashed controlled burning by 73%, driving fuel loads to dangerous levels. Scientists warn it’s now a matter of when, not if, a major moorland wildfire occurs. Read more - link is in comments 👇

Red grouse braving the current snowy condition. 📷 Courtesy of Northern Pennines Moorland Group.

⚖️ We have submitted a Claim for Judicial Review against Defra regarding the 2025 Burning Regulations. The new rules ignored key wildfire science and were introduced without proper consultation. Read our latest update. Link is in comments 👇

🔥 Why Science Supports Controlled Burning: Our Response to the Doncaster Free Press • Cool burns reduce fuel loads • They protect peat • They are backed by the G7, EU and US • Managed burns cause <5% of UK wildfires Read our full response - link is in replies 👇

📧 This recently circulated internal Natural England email appears to caution staff against engaging substantively with external queries about wildfire risk and land-management techniques. Read more - link is in replies 👇

📷 Courtesy of Peak District Moorland Group. Snow has paused vegetation management on the high tops, but keepers & rural workers are still out doing their jobs. With roads closing and vehicles getting stuck, access is tough enough already. Please respect those working in our uplands.

✍️ Why Science Supports Controlled Burning - Our Response to the Doncaster Free Press: www.moorlandassociation.org/post/why-sci...

🪶 Stewards of the Moors: 4 Proven Conservation Success Stories These stories show what real stewardship looks like: practical work, long-term commitment and people who know the ground. Integrated management delivers for nature and communities. Read more - link in replies 👇

🗺️ This map compares the scale of this year's Langdale wildfire in the North York Moors (black line) with the area burnt during the Great Fire of London (blue line). Approximately 5,000 acres were burned at Langdale, costing around £50m.

🔥 Brazil’s Cerrado banned all controlled burning - and paid the price. Wildfires doubled. Fuel loads soared. Now, with controlled burns restored, fire intensity has fallen 97%. Practical land stewardship and traditional knowledge working together. Read more - link is in comments 👇

Most curlew move to the coast in cold weather - but this inland flock stays on managed moors and nearby pastures. Curlew numbers have fallen sharply across the UK, yet some Yorkshire Dales estates hold 180–250 breeding pairs each. Video courtesy of Yorkshire Dales Moorland Group.

🔥 The RSPB told the government not to learn from countries already hit hard by wildfires, claiming our landscapes are “too different”. But fire physics don’t stop at the Channel. Evidence proves international lessons matter. Ignoring it risks repeating others’ mistakes. Link is in replies 👇

🔥 @rspb.bsky.social says Britain has nothing to learn from countries battling mega-fires - but can we really afford to ignore global wildfire science? Read our latest blog - www.moorlandassociation.org/post/rspb-wi...

🎞️ Watch Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity Jim Fairlie MSP tell the Scottish Parliament that responsible controlled burning helps prevent and fight wildfire.

🌿 National Parks were founded to protect nature and the people who sustain it. But some are now forgetting that second purpose entirely. Our latest blog explores how keepers, graziers and rural families remain central to the future of these living landscapes. Read more - link is in comments 👇

👮 Wildfire costs this year have reached £460m - the price of 14,760 new police officers protecting our communities. New controlled burning restrictions have just increased the risk of more wildfires in the future, leading to yet more senseless waste.

🔥 A Fire Chief’s Perspective: Why Controlled Burning is Essential for Wildfire Prevention Scottish Fire & Rescue wildfire lead Bruce Farquharson explains why burning is vital - reducing fuel loads, protecting peat and helping firefighters tackle blazes. Read more - link is in replies 👇

📉 New research reveals that stopping traditional moorland management while climate change accelerates could devastate populations of iconic upland birds. Link to summary of study is in replies 👇

🦅 New Wildlife Crime Report Shows Record Low for Bird of Prey Crime ✅ Incidents down from 216 in 2017 to 152 in 2024 🤝 Collaboration, gamekeeping, and habitat management key to progress 🏞️ Over 80% of successful hen harrier nests now on grouse moors

🐦 Scientists Warn: Ending Grouse Moor Management Could Accelerate Bird Declines Red grouse numbers may drop by up to 80% under climate change if management stops. Adaptive, evidence-based management is crucial for species survival. Read the full story on our website - link is in comments 👇

🐦 Job Opportunity: JM Osborne Rural & Sporting are recruiting for an exceptional Headkeeper and Underkeeper at a wild Spanish partridge project located in the north of Spain. See the full details: jmosborne.co.uk/situations-v...