IN condemning the world class conservation of heather moorland for red grouse (Letters, July 28), Animal Aid’s Andrew Tyler reveals a woeful, but more likely wilful ignorance of the subject.

Vast areas of our agriculturally poor heather-clad uplands have been awarded Site of Special Scientific Interest by the Government and Special Protected Area and Special Area of Conservation status by the EU, in recognition of the contribution they make to sustaining wildlife – particularly endangered wading birds.

Managed heather and the peat it grows on lock up vast amounts of carbon dioxide which helps in preventing global warming. Tyler suggests there’s something wrong with controlling predators on the moors, yet the RSPB engages in such practices, where necessary.

Left unmanaged these areas would very likely be covered in toxic bracken, or would burn to a crisp in summer wildfires; we should be grateful that these managed moors with all their conservation benefits are maintained by committed individuals at virtually no cost to the taxpayer.

Mr Tyler’s organisation believes in the perverse ideology of ‘animal rights’, which holds that that the life of an animal is morally equivalent to that of a human being. Campaigners like him would stop us eating meat, enjoying dairy products and benefiting from safe medicines.

David Stocker, Lancaster.