<![CDATA[The Duke of Edinburgh recently received an award
from Wildlife Estates Scotland on behalf of Balmoral Estate, as a
result of it being recognised as having a high standard of
wildlife and game management.
The Wildlife Estates Scotland (WES) accreditation
acknowledges estates' work and dedication towards the
management of farm land and estates. It is an internationally
recognised award which looks to reward those who have shown
excellence in their land management.
Commenting on the award, Balmoral’s resident factor, Richard
Gledson, said: “We are delighted that the Estate has been awarded
WES accreditation.
“It marks the culmination of a long process to ensure Balmoral
meets the high standards of the scheme and I am very pleased on
behalf of everyone on the Estate who has worked hard to apply best
practice in game and wildlife conservation. That process will
continue apace with the full support of the Royal Family, who are
thrilled by this award.
“We look forward to working with Wildlife Estates Scotland to
demonstrate our ongoing commitment to accreditation and hope we can
play our part in promoting the objectives of the scheme to other
estates across the country.”
Over twenty farms and estates have received awards from WES,
with Balmoral now being included.
Wildlife Estates Scotland first began as a European Union
initiative to drive forward the emphasis on better standards of
environment conservation. The Scottish government have continued to
support this scheme, which works closely with the 'Land Use
Strategy'.
The scheme was first promoted by Scottish Land & Estates, and
gained help and support from Scottish Natural Heritage, the
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Scotland, the Game and
Wildlife Conservation Trust, and the Cairngorms National Park
Authority.
The chairman of Wildlife Estates Scotland, Robbie Douglas Miller,
stated: “The Wildlife Estates Scotland project has been going from
strength to strength since its inception four years ago and we are
delighted that Balmoral has now been awarded accreditation.
“As with all the accredited estates, Balmoral has shown an
outstanding commitment to the requirements of WES. This has
happened because landowners genuinely want to play their part in
helping our game and wildlife to flourish in well managed
habitat.
“There is much to be proud of in this initiative and we look
forward to Balmoral’s example providing further impetus for more
and more estates to become involved in the WES project.”
Featured photo credit: Defence Images via photopin
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