Brian Caffarey Secretary to Committee of Inquiry PD Box 31010 London SW1H 9ZL 22 February 2000

Thank you for the opportunity to provide evidence to the Committee, and I apologise for the slight delay. I note the wide ranging terms of reference, covering "…rural economy, agriculture and pest control, the social and cultural life of the countryside, the management and conservation of wildlife, and animal welfare…".

I feel I should make clear my interest in the countryside is largely related to landscape character, and the elements and features that contribute to that character and distinctiveness, whether from a wildlife aspect or as a result of human uses and management of the land. I also have a number of colleagues who are landscape historians and archaeologists. We are very conscious of the cultural inheritance passed down from those who contributed to the management the countryside for centuries. In particular, many of the open areas of wood pasture appear to have derived from areas that were Royal Hunting Forests or a Chase. The protection of shrubs, trees, and enclosed woodland within these areas as shelter for the deer of the chase from the time of the Norman Conquest has been a significant contribution to the remaining areas of Ancient Woodland. In turn, these have been a reservoir of wildlife and hence a sizeable influence in sustaining biodiversity.

Many of these chases passed from royal control but were still managed for the deer and hunting. One of the last to be disfranchised was Cranborne Chase in 1829, and the landscape still reflects, particularly in the extent and character of its woodlands, the management for the hunt. Since those times, many woodlands have been managed for fox hunting and game shooting. Reference should be made to Hawkins, Desmond 1980 "Cranborne Chase" London Victor Gollancz. A similar situation exists in relation to the New Forest, recently identified by Government as a National Park.

Many of the landscapes of this country derive their character and sense of place from the activities of the past combined with those of the present. Indeed, its is widely recognised that our landscapes are a palimpsest, layers of history and activity over lain on each other, some more obvious and others more erased. Whether we morally like or dislike hunting its contribution to shaping and managing our landscapes cannot be denied.

Without running an experiment to see what happens to the condition, character, and quality of the countryside when the influences of hunting are removed, we have to rely on assessments of what has happened under that influence and make a judgement about the changes. Will copses and woodlands be cut down and grubbed out? Will there be a dramatic rise in deer and fox populations? Are diseases in these creatures likely to increase? Will their respective increased grazing and predation pressures lead to significant impacts on other wildlife and wider landscape interests? What we can do, however, is to gain some insight from studies of other changes, for example, the decline in countryside management generally that occurred during the depression of the 1920s and 1930s and the post war plague of rabbits. What is clear, nevertheless, is that woods and copses have been conserved as cover and sources of food for creatures of the chase and that the suggested drag hunting or chasing a human runner will not provide that reason or incentive to keep, manage, or plant such woods and copses.

I hope this is helpful. There does seem to be shortage of carefully monitored research in the areas being investigated by your committee, and I am confident this School of Conservation Sciences would be interested to respond to any opportunities for commissioned research.

Yours sincerely

Richard F Burden

Senior Lecturer / Practitioner Professional Landscape Practice

Date uploaded to site 4 May 2000