East Suffolk Council is taking up the cause to help better protect one of the countryside’s most iconic and graceful mammals.
As part of an ongoing commitment to conservation and restoring nature for local communities, the council is backing efforts to preserve and improve the welfare of brown hares.
Once widespread, Britain’s fastest wild mammal is now a Priority Species – listed for conservation following historic population decline, especially over the last hundred years, due in part to habitat loss, intensified farming practices and changes in patterns of land use.
Despite targets in place to halt abundance decline by 2030 and reverse the trend by 2042, brown hares also face the threat of being illegally hunted with dogs – often for the purpose of gambling – and remain the only species of game in the country without statutory protection during breeding season.
East Suffolk Council is, therefore, supporting the introduction of a ‘closed season’ to prohibit shooting during the months when hares are pregnant or raising young, to prevent the starvation of orphaned leverets.
Councillor Sally Noble, Cabinet Member with responsibility for the Environment, said:
“People are astonished to hear that hares can be shot during breeding season, and leverets left to starve in the fields, despite their priority status under the UK Biodiversity Plan. A closed season would help numbers recover and prevent orphaning dependent young.
“Although a Bill was introduced to the House of Lords for a closed season in 2024, there has been no further progress. Anyone who feels strongly about this should write to their MP urging the Secretary of State to introduce a closed season.
“Biodiversity isn’t just about saving rare species, but ensuring common species remain so. Thankfully, brown hares are not a threatened species, but they do lack the same legal protections of other a game species and are a conservation concern.”
Meanwhile, Cllr Noble has written to local farmers to support the creation of ‘hare-friendly’ habitats, including field margins or strips to provide food and shelter during winter.
“Not only would we like to see legal protection for hares during the breeding season, but we are also encouraging local farmers and landowners to enhance biodiversity through simple, achievable and impactful action,” she added.
“It could mean setting aside an un-farmed spot with cover available from hedgerows or woodland margins – or letting a plot grow wild with scrub and native plants.
“The presence of wild brown hares on your land can be an indicator of a healthy and well-balanced agricultural ecosystem, and their numbers could be boosted by improving and varying habitats to provide better availability of food and shelter.
“We understand the need for arable farmers to prioritise crops and mitigate potential damage – and that’s why we want to work together to make space for nature. Financial support is available for farmers to deliver environmental benefits through Defra’s Countryside Stewardship and Sustainable Farming Incentive schemes.”
East Suffolk Council will be continuing to raise awareness around hare conservation in coming months – with focus turning to the damaging impact of hare coursing at the end of summer, following harvest season, when fields are left open and reports of offences increase.
ESC’s Our Direction 2028 strategic plan places ‘Environmental Impact’ as a core commitment – and the Council has a statutory duty to consider conservation of biodiversity when making decisions on planning applications.
The preparation of a new Local Plan for East Suffolk will also provide an opportunity to consider appropriate future planning policies for the protection and enhancement of the environment while planning for new development.
