Kevin Hollinrake MP recently visited the moorland around the Snilesworth Estate. He met with gamekeeper, Jimmy Shuttlewood, and Tina Brough from the North Yorkshire Moors Moorland Organisation. On a tour around he was shown the work that is undertaken to protect the many varieties of birds and how the unique landscape that they live on is maintained. Mr Hollinrake saw how the management of the heather is undertaken and how the health of the grouse is monitored.
“The work done by Jimmy and the gamekeepers is important to this community. It provides jobs and supports the local economy as well as bringing people from the area together for shoot days. Farmers and the gamekeepers work together to preserve the land. This is part of our rural heritage and essential for keeping the environment for future generations to appreciate.
Habitat conservation is of tremendous importance and moorland management is vital to biodiversity. Globally, heather moorland is rarer than rainforest, and three quarters of it is located here in the UK. Without active management, this biodiversity would be lost.
I am so grateful to Jimmy for taking the time to show me this beautiful part of the constituency and explaining the many ways the gamekeepers preserve it. His enthusiasm about nature and for this unique part of the country made for a very informative and enjoyable morning. The views were amazing and the wildlife we saw thriving was wonderful to see.”