September marks the start of the season of creation, placed on the liturgical calendar by Pope Francis, and running until the Feast of St Francis of Assisi. It is a time to celebrate the richness and wonder of the planet, but also one when natural species are set against each other

The grouse-shooting season, which began on 12 August and runs until 10 December, is in full swing, and so is the controversy that surrounds it. A petition to ban driven grouse shooting on English and Scottish moorlands has now exceeded 100,000 signatures, the target required for a parliamentary debate, which is likely to be scheduled in October.

It is an emotional and heated debate and one I have found myself, unwittingly, drawn into after I walked 500 miles for curlew conservation last April. The link is that the fate of curlews and grouse are inextricably bound together. Why this is so reveals how complicated nature is and how difficult it is for human beings to act responsibly in a way that benefits different forms of wildlife. So while we may mark Creation’s World Day of Prayer by signing up to Pope Francis’ recently issued prayer that says caring for creation is an act of mercy, we might sometimes have to choose which part we care for most.