Learning new traditions and sharing the passion
Opocno Castle in the Czech Republic proved to be a magnificent setting to experience a wonderful combination of the Central European hunting traditions with the ancient art of falconry. Falconry in the Czech Republic is organised under the Czech Moravian Hunters Union, who hosted the FACE CEO on his first visit to the country. (Read More)

FACE Meeting on birds issues and bag data
Two meetings were held back to back on 15 and 16 October at the FACE office to discuss a number of technical issues relating to the Birds Directive, international cooperation for the conservation of migratory birds and hunting bag statistics. (Read More)

Nordic hunters meet MEPs
Following the success from last year, the FACE Members from the three Nordic EU Member States – Denmark, Finland and Sweden – held a full-day event in the European Parliament in Brussels on the topic: Nordic Hunting. (Read More)

The costs and benefits of Natura 2000
Hunters keep the costs for the Natura 2000 Network down, as long as they have access to it. The European Commission recognises that the success of Natura 2000 requires the support of local people and various land-users, and their participation in the conservation and management of areas involved. (Read More)

A meeting with one of the oldest Conservation NGOs in the world….
Founded over 175 years ago the Swedish Hunters Association is today one of the oldest Conservation NGOs in the world. (Read More)

Colloquium on “rurality” at Lake Como
From 26 to 28 August, high ranking representatives from a wide range of fields, including science, politics, economy, conservation and hunting, met at Lake Como to discuss rurality issues in the framework of the Arosio Colloquium.(Read More)

Meeting of the Advisory Group on “Rural Development”
What should the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) be? This and several other key questions about the future of rural areas were posed by the Advisory Group on “Rural Development” at its meeting on the 16 October, at which the FACE Director Public Affairs & Communication participated. (Read More)

Bilateral Meeting FACE/BirdLife (Read More)

Learning new traditions and sharing the passion
Opocno Castle in the Czech Republic proved to be a magnificent setting to experience a wonderful combination of the Central European hunting traditions with the ancient art of falconry. Falconry in the Czech Republic is organised under the Czech Moravian Hunters Union, who hosted the FACE CEO on his first visit to the country. The field meet has been held every year in Opocno since it was established 42 years ago.
The standard of falconry is exemplary and focuses mainly on the use of Goshawks, Golden Eagles and Falcons. The gathering is important in three ways. Firstly, it brings together Czech falconers and other falconers from all over the world to share experiences and strike up new friendships. Secondly, it creates a closer bond within the hunting community as local hunters allow falconers to hunt on their hunting grounds. This helps to keep the tradition of falconry and hunting strong. Lastly, it provides an important social occasion not only for the village of Opocno but also for many of the surrounding villages near where the hunts actually take place. For nearly two weeks the area bustles with hunters, their friends and families, bringing an important social and economic boost to the local economy.
The Saturday morning started with a gathering at the castle where falconers typically present themselves before leaving for the hunting grounds. On this occasion it marked a special and more formal opening for the public which is accompanied by horn blowing and some speeches. After the opening the public were invited to some demonstrations where falconers displayed hawks and explained their behaviour and biology. They also gave an overview of how hawks are trained to hunt and the reciprocal relationship between man and bird.
In former times the groups would leave by bus, yet even today, with most people going by car, there is a group that still hires a bus. They met in a small village and carried out a short ceremony before piling into the bus together with half the local village not to mention their eagles & hawks. This made for an excellent atmosphere.  
The hunting is carried out in an extended line sweeping through fields with the closest falconer taking the “slip” mainly on hares. Despite well trained hawks and hard chases almost three quarters of the quarry manages to get away and the more spectacular escapes are lauded with shouts of Bravo! The falcon flying is done in the classical style with falcons waiting on high above and pointers finding the quarry, in this case pheasants.
In the evening as the dusk moved in everyone gathered again in the castle courtyard and the hunters laid out their bag, after first being checked for basic hygiene and disease. After a considerable crowd had gathered there were some speeches and again some traditional horn blowing. The mist swirled through the courtyard with the final blowing of the horns, with people gathered in camaraderie and the game laid out respectfully it concluded a brief education in some fine traditions which are based on a passion for nature and hunting.

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FACE Meeting on birds issues and bag data
Two meetings were held back to back on 15 and 16 October at the FACE office to discuss a number of technical issues relating to the Birds Directive, international cooperation for the conservation of migratory birds and hunting bag statistics. The meetings proved to be an excellent opportunity to re-establish contacts and meet new experts from the FACE Member network.
The first day discussed updates of certain documents relating to the Birds Directive, which can be summarised as follows:
EU Management plans for Annex II species considered to be in an Unfavourable Conservation Status. The latest progress on these plans is that after different consultations of the members of the Ornis Committee, FACE and BirdLife International, six MPs have recently been finalised. They concern the following species: Redshank (Tringa tetanus), Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus), Scaup (Aythya marila), Quail (Coturnix coturnix), Golden Plover (Pluvialis apricaria) and Common Gull (Larus canus).They be downloaded on the following link: 
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/conservation/wildbirds/hunting/managt_plans_en.htm
Of particular interest is that the final version of Lapwing MP does not include a recommendation for a 5 year ban on all hunting of Lapwing, which was the case in earlier drafts (from 2006 onwards). In its place a more flexible approach is recommended, “Necessary restrictions on hunting are taken until 2011 in certain regions or Member States if there are clear evidences of excessive local hunting pressure”. This change was made because of evidence that the annual bag of Lapwing is far lower than previously estimated. It is however clear that urgent action is required to improve the survival and breeding success of this declining species. Alongside agri-environment measures there is a need to assess the sustainability of hunting with the assistance of sound bag statistics. These actions will be better facilitated if hunters retain a vested interest in the conservation of Lapwing.
A review the Key Concepts Document on Article 7§4 has recently been carried out by the European Commission, which details available data on periods of reproduction and return migration of Annex II “huntable” bird species. This review extends and updates the original version of the “Key Concepts” document published in 2001 to cover all 27 Member States. It is generally accepted that this review was undertaken without the necessary resources, and a more thorough review will be required in the near future. 
The second day focused on the ARTEMIS project. This project addresses the growing demand for information on hunting bag statistics in Europe. It promotes the centralisation of national bag statistics for scientific interpretation and provides a platform for the sharing of expertise on methodology used to collect data. The meeting was an occasion to learn of new developments in national bag data collection schemes and discuss concrete steps for the ARTEMIS work programme.
The next important event on the calendar for this issue is a conference of bag statistics and game monitoring to be held under the Swedish presidency on 15th & 16th December 2009 under the title: Providing a knowledge basis for sustainable hunting and biodiversity conservation. Streamlining hunting bag statistics in the EU. Uppsala, Sweden. More information: http://www-conference.slu.se/gamemonitor/
For more information contact Cy GRIFFIN

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Nordic hunters meet MEPs
Following the success from last year, the FACE Members from the three Nordic EU Member States – Denmark, Finland and Sweden – held a full-day event in the European Parliament in Brussels on the topic: Nordic Hunting. Mr Torsten MÖRNER, President of the Swedish Hunters’ Association, presented the Nordic hunting model, which has always had the focus on hunting for game meat. In harvesting the surplus from game population resources in a sustainable manner, game meat accounts for up to 5% of total meat consumption in these countries. The majority of Nordic hunters are men, but women are increasingly showing greater interest. Efforts have been made to increase the number of female hunters; today every fourth person who passes the hunters’ exam in Sweden is a woman.
Mr Lauri KONTRO, President of the Finnish Hunters’ Association, briefed MEPs about the need for proper management of large carnivores – mainly Brown bear, Lynx and Wolf – in the Nordic countries, including through well regulated hunting. This would contribute not only to minimising conflicts with farmers and other rural communities, but also to conserving these emblematic species for the future.
In the light of the propensity of the European Institutions to grasp for new powers, directly or indirectly linked to hunting (which was recently showcased by the Seal Trade Proposal), Mr Anders GRAHN, Head of International Affairs in the Swedish Hunters’ Association, talked about the importance of the ‘subsidiarity principle’. Tracing its lineage a long way back, hunting has come to be expressed in differing ways across Europe, as a result of various cultural and socio-economic traditions. For this reason, he also expressed reservations about the latest trend of the Commission to issue guides regarding hunting and game management – which in the long-run could add up to an EU-wide hunting law.
Following the same theme, Mr Ole ROED JAKOBSEN, President of the Danish Hunters’ Association, talked about how the ungainly EU Birds Directive, which has hardly been amended since its adoption in 1979, should best be implemented to respect cultural and ecological differences between the Member States.
In the evening, a working dinner took place at the Standhope Hotel, where MEPs and Parliament Assistants from Austria, France and the UK were briefed on the same topics.
For more information on hunting and game management in the Nordic countries, visit www.nordichunters.org as well as the FACE
website:http://www.face.eu/Documents/Nordic.hunting.pdf.

For more information, contact FACE Legal Affairs Officer, Johan SVALBY.

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The costs and benefits of Natura 2000
Hunters keep the costs for the Natura 2000 Network down, as long as they have access to it. The European Commission recognises that the success of Natura 2000 requires the support of local people and various land-users, and their participation in the conservation and management of areas involved. It is therefore, that FACE was invited this month to a workshop on costs and benefits. The workshop is a part of an EU project (carried out by the Institute for European Environmental Policy, IEEP), which aims to refine estimations on costs compared to benefits associated with Natura 2000. Understanding the costs will support deliberations on scale and priorities in securing financing of Natura 2000 in the future. Understanding the benefits will help integrate biodiversity conservation efforts into other sectors and tie it to sustainable development goals and growth.
Hunters invest a lot of resources (time and money) for the conservation of biodiversity within and outside of the Natura 2000 network. If their incentives to manage land sustainably are taken away through unnecessary bans, it will increase the costs for local and national administrations to manage these areas.
Under another EU project (lead by FACE), the Commission will hold a conference on Promoting Natura 2000 and sustainable wildlife use. Amongst other things, this event will demonstrate efforts carried out by wildlife users (hunters and anglers) for representatives of national Environment Ministries and of the EU, other conservation organisations and land managers (www.facenatura2000.net/conference_en.htm).

For more information, contact FACE Project Manager, Gabor von BETHLENFALVY.

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A meeting with one of the oldest Conservation NGOs in the world….
Founded over 175 years ago the Swedish Hunters Association is today one of the oldest Conservation NGOs in the world. It was founded by hunters to conserve Moose populations, which at the time had sunk to about 100 animals. Today with over 350,000 Moose in Sweden the annual hunt is clearly sustainable and has been for a long time. Over the years this conservation ethic has been extended to cover other species, including non-game species.
Each year the Swedish hunters organise a Moose hunt at their very impressive headquarters in Öster Malma, which this year was held on the 22-23rd of October. This was an occasion to learn more about hunting in Sweden and the work of the Swedish Hunters Association. It was also an occasion to meet other decision makers in the hunting and conservation world and this year saw participation by FACE, CIC, Latvian Hunters Association and the Finnish Hunters Central Organisation. The discussions on the first day were wide ranging and covered many conservation and political themes, including large carnivores (mainly wolves) and the wider issues associated with lead ammunition. In the case of lead ammunition, it is clear that there are no simple solutions and that the subject is complex, but it does require informed discussion and carefully planned, appropriate actions.
The actual hunt took place on the second day and above all else was a hands on introduction to the hunters interaction with nature. Despite the fantastic organisation it was also a reminder that nature follows its own course as the moose eluded all of us. As ever though with hunting we use the hunt to immerse ourselves in nature and for that it was a fantastic experience.

For more information, please contact FACE CEO & Director of Conservation, Angus MIDDLETON.

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Colloquium on “rurality” at Lake Como
From 26 to 28 August, high ranking representatives from a wide range of fields, including science, politics, economy, conservation and hunting, met at Lake Como to discuss rurality issues in the framework of the Arosio Colloquium. The sixth edition of the Colloquium took place under the auspices of the Summer University (Universite d’Ete) and with the high patronage of the President of Italy. As part of the European week of landscape, the hundred-some participants dealt with the state of affairs of responsible nutrition, hospitality, food and oenology. As host, Att. Giovanni BANA, President of the European Committee for penalty law of the EU, Vice-president of FACE and President of the FEIN Foundation, was extremely delighted to have the attendance of Ms Lara COMI, Member of the European Parliament, - who brought words of welcome from Prime Minister Silvio BERLUSCONI; Arch. Giulio De CAPITANI, President of the regional council of Lombardy; Mrs. Dr. Maguelonne DÉJEANT-PONS, Head of Unit for Cultural Heritage at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg; On. Enrico HULLWECK, Chief Secretary in the Ministry for Culture and Culture Heritage in Rome as well as prominent scientists and hunting representatives. The aim of the Colloquim was to increase understanding for rural areas and raise awareness for all facets of regional-cultural heritage. The next Summer University is planned in 2010, again at the end of August at Lake Como.

Further information can be found on www.nibbio.org or by contact Christine RUPPRECHTER-RÖDLACH.

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EU Conference in Sweden discusses the welfare of (farm) animals
One of the major points made at the European conference “Delivering Animal Welfare and Quality” was a call to the European Commission to make progress in setting-up its announced European Centre for Animal Welfare as an independent institution to monitor a coherent implementation of assessment and certification tools for animal welfare. It is clear that public concerns or society’s perception of animal welfare plays a major role in driving forward the political debate, and also that countries such as the Netherlands and the UK are taking the lead. The FACE SG/SPA attended the conference, organised under the Swedish presidency at the Agriculture University SLU in Uppsala, not to draw attention to hunting or to the aspect of the welfare of wild animals but mainly to better understand the key elements of the issue in relation to farmed animals as well as who are the main actors and drivers of the whole debate.
Animal welfare and animal rights NGOs have understood the process very well, judging by their efforts to “inform” the public and to lobby decision-makers. It is also evident that the professional sectors concerned have taken a number of meaningful initiatives in the domain of the welfare of farm animals, such as the ambitious “Welfare Quality” scoring scheme, based on a set of four principles and 12 criteria, linked to an objective assessment system and appropriate measures. (see also www.welfarequality.net)
All this cannot simply be transposed to assess the welfare of wildlife. It is ironic that from the five fundamental “freedoms” identified for farmed animals (Freedom from hunger and thirst, from discomfort, from pain, injury or disease, from fear and distress, plus the freedom to express normal behaviour), only “natural behaviour” can be applied to wild animals. Fact is that during the whole event, there was no reference whatsoever to wild animals – with one exception, namely at the official Conference Banquet at Uppsala Castle where all participants (vegetarians excluded) received as their main dish … delicious red deer venison.

For more information, please contact FACE SG/SPA, Dr Yves LECOCQ.

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Meeting of the Advisory Group on “Rural Development”
What should the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) be? This and several other key questions about the future of rural areas were posed by the Advisory Group on “Rural Development” at its meeting on the 16 October, at which the FACE Director Public Affairs & Communication participated.
At regular intervals, the Directorate General for Agriculture of the European Commission organises an exchange with a wide range of countryside stakeholders. The aim is to build a bridge to the local people through this advisory body in order to gain a better understanding of what people in rural areas think, want and need. At this meeting, it was more a matter of collecting ideas about the future of the CAP and to encourage all participants to start reflecting on it until the next meeting. In particular, diversity should be taken into account, a coherent approach chosen, the economic component considered, simplifying measures reflected and the entire network strengthened.
For more information, please contact FACE Director Public Affairs & Communication, Christine RUPPRECHTER-RÖDLACH.

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Bilateral Meeting FACE/BirdLife
During the 9th bi-annual meeting, FACE officially met BirdLife‘s new Regional Director, Angelo Caserta.  This month, it is exactly five years since both organisations signed the joint Agreement on the Birds Directive (www.face.eu/PA_SHI-en.htm). The meeting was amongst other things, an opportunity for reflection: Many things were achieved throughout those years but there are still challenges to overcome. Both parties agreed to conduct a joint analysis of the Agreement in order to give direction to future work. This should, however, not be confused with the assessment of the Sustainable Hunting Initiative, which was carried out by IUCN through an EU contract
(www.facenatura2000.net/audit_en.htm).

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Coming in from the Cold?
With the possibility of negotiations for Iceland to join the EU being fast tracked, the President of the Icelandic Hunters paid a courtesy visit to FACE at the beginning of October. There are almost 10,000 hunters in Iceland and they have a number of long-standing cultural practices which serve to maintain close links to nature. These are not necessarily incompatible with EU nature laws but will require careful negotiation if Iceland accedes to the EU. FACE stands ready to assist, in the interest of promoting sustainable hunting and for the conservation of what could be important additions to Europe’s biodiversity.

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Natura 2000 Conference - 17-18 November

Intergroup Strasbourg - 25 November