Mapping shooting’s contribution to conservation

Extra key features have been added to the market-leading Green Shoots Mapping software that shooters use to prove its sustainability and benefits to the environment.

The British Association for Shooting and Conservation, which owns and runs the software, has introduced additions to boost sustainability credentials and improve functionality.
Users can overlay where designated wildlife sites are situated so they can sort and report their wildlife records, which can now be integrated, mapped and exported, allowing users to provide the facts and figures on the benefits of land managed for shooting. Buffer zones can also be added to map features to aid users’ understanding of anything from safe fall-out zones of shot to their proximity to protected sites.

Not only that but National Grid references have been added to allow exact recording of events – a request from deer stalkers and wildfowlers in particular.
Ian Danby, BASC’s head of biodiversity, said: “Shooting can be a powerful force for conservation and like other aspects of our lives we must be able to show that it is sustainable. The addition of protected sites into every map on the site means members have ready and easy access to where they are located so they can consider how their activities could enhance them.

“In terms of showcasing shooting’s environmental net-gain, the Green Shoots Mapping software is the market leader. So much so, it was recently highlighted as having possible uses in the UK Government’s new flagship Environmental Land Management scheme.
“Green Shoots Mapping has a significant part to play in the future of sustainable shooting, we urge anyone involved with land management to make use of it. Ensuring sustainability is what shooting needs to be properly valued by Government and the public. The services provided by Green Shoots Mapping are fundamentally key to sustainability.”

To find out more, visit: basc.org.uk/conservation/green-shoots-mapping