Understanding stakeholder perceptions on the impacts of gamebird releasing on or near UK protected sites

Conservation of protected sites involves stakeholders with a variety of perspectives and values of how land should be managed. Understanding the perceptions of different stakeholders are key to considering changes to conservation practises and to inform conflict strategies. Non-native gamebird release for recreational shooting in the UK includes associated land management which can have positive and negative impacts on species and habitats. We aimed to understand land manger perceptions of the effects from non-native gamebird release and associated management on native biodiversity within or adjacent to protected sites across the UK. We designed an online questionnaire which was completed by 104 managers of protected sites, including nature reserve staff, farmers and gamekeepers. Overall, respondents reported more positive effects related to estate management, and more negative effects related to the impacts of gamebirds on species and habitats, matching the conclusions of recent ecological evidence reviews. However, there was a marked difference in how the perceptions of different stakeholders matched the available ecological evidence: respondents employed by conservation NGOs, consultancy, government, and non-departmental bodies were more likely to perceive negative impacts, whereas respondents from farming and game shooting estates were more likely to perceive positive impacts. Despite pronounced differences in perceptions between stakeholder groups, there was broad cross-group agreement on the overall positive effect of hedgerow creation and management, and the overall negative impact of increases in generalist predator abundance and predation pressure on native wildlife linked to gamebird releases. Although our findings highlight differences between stakeholders in perceptions of the impacts of gamebird release and management, we use our results to highlight possible social mechanisms surrounding the perceptions of non-native gamebird releasing, opportunities for conflict management and potential needs for collaboration to further explore perceptions and help influence conservation action.