The Common Ground Forum does not represent any particular views or positions, its purpose is to help build trust and relationships between people whose work is connected with deer management, so they can work together to find solutions to integrated, sustainable upland deer management.
Current areas of focus
Listening to the voices of stalkers
While it’s the deer management/stalking community that will implement the upcoming changes in policy or legislation on the ground, this group is seldom heard. Since April 2023 we have held three stalkers’ events to discuss and better understand the opportunities and challenges that stalkers anticipate will come with change. The second was attended by Scottish Government representatives, who followed up with a separate meeting to discuss specific issues. Several stalkers also attended a parliamentary meeting in May 2024. A fourth stalkers’ event is being planned for later in 2025. Training and support is also being offered to stalkers to help them better understand group dynamics and address conflict.
Managing conflict in Deer Management Groups
In some DMGs, conflict presents a barrier to constructive discussion. A new protocol for behaviour within DMGs has been introduced, and DMG chairs and others are receiving support and training in leadership and conflict management. Edinburgh University also conduucted a pilot study in North Ross Deer Management Group using methods from mediation and social science to enable members to negotiate different perspectives in a more productive way, which could be replicated for other groups.
Communicating in the spirit of the Common Ground Accord
Over 40 organisations have signed up to the Accord which sets out the principles for respectful behaviour. A new comunications group was set up in late 2024 to help Common Ground Forum organisations share insights and information in order to help embed the ethos of working to the spirit of the Common Ground Accord within their communications.
Increasing capacity within the sector
To embed the Common Ground approach across the deer management sector, we need a critical mass of individuals with the capacity and confidence to take it forward. We are providing free group dynamics and conflict management training to a set of “change makers” – individuals to who are influencing their peers, their colleagues and their wider networks, as well as other methods of support.
Increasing reach and influence
Our recent focus has mainly been on stalkers and Deer Management Groups, but we have started reaching out to foresters, and plan to expand to other audiences as well well as linking to and building bridges with overlapping initiatives that exist or may develop as we go forward.