Recently a petition was launched urging Scottish National Heritage to add the Common Raven to the Scottish general license due to impact of the species upon livestock. Should this occur, ravens, currently protected due to historic, unregulated persecution, could once again be killed in vast and unsustainable numbers.

The legal persecution of ravens which occurred between 1970 and 1990 to protect livestock resulted in a nationwide population crash. Scotland holds a large percentage of the UK's remaining breeding Ravens and it is our worry that should the species be added to the general license, the relatively small population of this iconic corvid will once again suffer. We acknowledge the negative impact Ravens have upon on livestock, however, SNH offer licenses to control the species (via lethal means) when problems arise. We feel such licences are enough to meet the need of farmers to protect their livestock.

Ravens are a beautiful, intelligent bird- comprising a true conservation success story. They play an important role in our ecosystem by removing carcasses and returning nutrients to the soil. A loss of this species, would not only remove a vital ecosystem function but would be a loss to many people who travel long distances to enjoy these birds. 

Ravens are recovering in Scotland, though this recovery is by no means complete and the species remains absent from many areas. Should widespread slaughter under the general license be allowed, this recovery will surely fail. Through this petition to we hope to prevent the addition of the Raven to the general license - a move we feel sets a dangerous precedent that could, in the future, pave the way for other similarly protected species to be legally persecuted.