A ROW has broken out over controversial plans to push forward with an “experimental” cull of hundreds of ravens.

Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has granted a group of farmers and gamekeepers a five-year licence to kill 300 birds in Perthshire.

But RSPB Scotland has now claimed the scheme has little to do with protecting wading birds, as claimed – and is instead a thinly veiled attempt to get rid of a perceived pest to benefit grouse shooting estates.

It said it was “outraged” to learn a licence had been given to Strathbraan Community for Waders, which says it represents “some of the local land management…and private interests in the area who value wading birds for their biodiversity, social and economic value to the area and to Scotland more widely.”

The charity said the location should have “set some alarm bells ringing” at SNH, due to its appalling track record as a site known for the illegal persecution of raptors.

Golden eagles and other protected species have suspiciously vanished in the vicinity, and police are currently probing the disappearance of a satellite-tagged white tailed eagle nearby.

In an online blog, the RSPB requested the licence be halted, adding: "In the first instance, we doubt very much that the proposal in this case has anything to do with the given reason for the research licence request – ostensibly to ‘improve understanding of factors affecting key wader species’.

“In light of previous loud complaints by estates in this and other grouse shooting areas about raven predation of red grouse, we and many others see this raven research proposal as simply a rather transparent mechanism whereby a perceived pest species can be removed to benefit red grouse, with the conservation of wading birds as a by-product.”

It added: “It worries us a good deal that SNH apparently do not seem to have taken any of this contextual information into account as part of this licensing decision.”

The conservation charity also poured cold water on claims ravens are to blame for the plummeting populations of wading birds, such as the curlew, redshank and the lapwing.

It said an academic study co-funded by SNH previously found ravens – which were persecuted by gamekeepers for centuries – should not be held responsible.

And it insisted the Perthshire licence was granted “with what appears to be some effort to exclude local organisations and individuals” who could have provided expert advice.

But the Scottish Moorland Group, which represents landowners, rural businesses and rural professionals, insisted the cull was a “pragmatic approach”.

It said that while the number of wading birds had dropped by 62 per cent in 20 years, raven populations have ballooned by 134 per cent.

Robbie Kernahan, SNH Head of Wildlife, said the license was about a “pressing and complex conservation issue”.

He said: “It is a large-scale collaborative trial which will help improve our understanding of factors affecting key wader species, populations of which are declining at an alarming rate.

“We know that predation can affect wader populations and that ravens have a role in this which is worthy of further investigation. We need to update this research and the Strathbraan licence application will help facilitate this through the collaboration established in the area.”

He insisted controls were in place to ensure there will be no impact on the conservation status of ravens, adding: “We understand the concerns over wildlife crime in Strathbraan, but we are also clear that the granting of this licence is wholly unconnected to the issues concerned.”

He continued: “If it becomes apparent that actions are not being carried out in accordance with the terms of any licence then we will have no hesitation in removing the licence.”