What price tradition?

Grouse shooting, sheep farming and predator control are all deeply embedded in the fabric of the British countryside. These practices, like many forms of land and wildlife management, are defended – in part at least – by tradition. But what does tradition really mean?In this episode, we explore why tradition carries such weight, whether it should be challenged, and how many of the practices we currently accept as 'traditional' would survive scrutiny if they were proposed for the first time today?Additional info At the Edge is an independent media and communications platform exploring new ways for people and wildlife to thrive together.Follow us on Instagram, or join me, Peter Cairns, on LinkedIn and Bluesky. And if you like what we do, please consider Buying Me A Coffee to support the production of future podcasts and other content.This episode of At The Edge is produced in partnership with Adventurous Audio and is kindly supported by Ballintean Mountain Lodge.Useful linksMeet the contributors from this episode on LinkedIn: Katharine Hay, Thorsten Gieser, Dee Ward, and Jack Bamber.Read Katharine Hay's feature on the guga hunt in the Scotsman.Read the NatureScot statement on the guga hunt.Learn about Thorsten Gieser's position on wolves in Germany, and his recognition of the role of tradition.Learn about the Cairngorms Connect Predator Project.More background reading on the debate around driven grouse shooting:Environmental impacts of driven grouse shooting (published in Ibis).Sustainable driven grouse shooting by The Moorland Association.Alternatives to driven grouse shooting by Mark Avery.