Author: FACE

On Thursday 6 April, FACE, the Federation of Associations for Hunting and Conservation of the EU, in conjunction with CIC, the International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation, organised a workshop on “Preparing Hunters for African Swine Fever” in Brussels. African swine fever (ASF) is a highly transmissible disease affecting pigs and wild boars with serious socio-economic, wildlife and public health consequences. The disease can spread rapidly, irrespective of national borders. With regard to wildlife management and hunting, AFS can be devastating....

07 April, 2017 /

Today, the European Parliament (EP) in plenary session voted on the revision of the EU Firearms Directive and approved it. All amendments have been rejected. The provisional agreement on the revision of the EU Firearms Directive - which was agreed during the trilogue meetings, between EP, the Council and European Commission - sets out the conditions under which private persons may lawfully acquire and possess firearms or transfer them to another EU country. This agreement was previously approved by the EP...

14 March, 2017 /

On Tuesday 7th March, FACE, the Federation of Associations for Hunting and Conservation of the EU, organised the conference “The future of the Nature Directives: Where are we going?”, hosted by MEP Karl-Heinz Florenz and MEP Renata Briano at the European Parliament in Brussels. Recently, the European Commission (EC) published the Fitness Check evaluation of the EU Nature Directives and concluded that they remain highly relevant and fit for purpose. However, in order to fully achieve the objectives of the Nature...

08 March, 2017 /

On 6 March 2017, at the International Weapons Exhibition (IWA) and Outdoor Classics 2017 trade show in Nuremberg, Germany, FACE and the Electronic Collar Manufactures Association™ (ECMA™) strengthened their collaboration and called for greater harmonization of legislation concerning ECMA’s™ industry. With great fragmentation caused by inconsistent national approaches in the EU, ECMA™ members and dog owners are unable to benefit fully from the EU Internal Market. ECMA™’s President, Edward Phelan, highlighted the industry’s commitment to the development of innovative products such as...

07 March, 2017 /

Today, at the International Weapons Exhibition (IWA) and Outdoor Classics 2017 trade show in Nuremberg, Germany, FACE and the Association of European Manufacturers of Sporting Firearms (ESFAM) strengthened again their bond and commitment to tackle remaining critical issues of the Firearms Directive ahead of the crucial vote in the European Parliament plenary session mid of March 2017. Provisions for authorisations, licenses, including renewals and prolongations, and storage of firearms still remain unclear, with a danger of over-regulation leading to poor implementation...

06 March, 2017 /

The Languedoc-Roussillon region has two Natura 2000 sites: the “Causses du Minervois” Special Area of Conservation (SAC), which aims to preserve natural habitats and species; and the “Minervois” Special Protection Area (SPA), which aims to conserve important habitats for bird populations. Established in 2014, the main objective of these projects is to maintain and restore the favourable condition of species and habitats in the Minervois Region. Members of the Departmental Federation of Hunting in the Aude and Herault provinces are involved...

03 March, 2017 /

MPs misinformed on trophy hunting. Brussels, 1 March 2017 – A briefing paper titled ‘Trophy Hunting: UK and international policy’ by Alison Pratt and David Hirst, provides incorrect information to the Members of Parliament in the UK (MPs) and their staff on policy and sustainability aspects of trophy hunting. It is not true that EU Member States signed a Written Declaration in January 2016 calling for the examination of the possibility of restricting all import of trophies into the EU. What really...

01 March, 2017 /

Situated in the north of Scotland and with an area of 4,528 km2, the Cairngorms National Park is Britain’s largest national park. The Cairngorms National Park contains many natural habitats containing a number of rare and endangered species. In order to preserve the ecological and cultural richness of the National Park, the OpenNESS project partnered with the ‘Cairngorms Nature Strategy Group’ to assess and promote the ecosystem services and natural capital concepts in relation to sustainable land management. Since 2000, the main objective...

24 February, 2017 /

FACE, Copa & Cogeca, CEPF, ELO welcome new EU Court of Auditors report showing huge potential of Natura 2000 in protecting biodiversity but warn uptake is poor as funds difficult to access. FACE, Copa & Cogeca, CEPF, ELO welcomed in Brussels today a new EU Court of Auditors report which shows the huge potential of Natura 2000 in protecting biodiversity but warn that uptake is poor as the network is not being managed properly and funds are difficult to access. The report...

24 February, 2017 /

The Federation of Associations for Hunting and Conservation of the EU is pleased to announce that Mr. Ludwig Willnegger has started his employment as new Secretary General of FACE. Mr. Willnegger holds a degree in agricultural sciences and law and has both Belgian and German citizenship. He obtained his hunting license in Bavaria at the age of 16 and grew up on a farm in a family with longstanding hunting traditions. He initially worked for two years for the European farmers’...

20 February, 2017 /

The conference, organized by MEP Karl-Heinz Florenz, President of the Hunting Intergroup and MEP Renata Briano, Vice-President, in cooperation with FACE, will take place on 7th March 2017 at the European Parliament in Brussels. On the 7 December 2016, the European Commissioner for Environment, Karmenu Vella, confirmed the next steps of the Fitness Check of the Birds and Habitats Directives: the European Commission will develop an implementation Action Plan to improve implementation of the Birds and Habitats Directives. This Action Plan...

15 February, 2017 /

FACE attended the 12th Meeting of the AEWA Standing Committee from 31 January to 1 February, hosted by the French Ministry of Environment, Energy and Sea at its premises in La Défense, Paris. This was the first full intersessional meeting of the Committee since MOP6 in 2015; the Committee will next meet in 2018. The busy agenda included reviews of the implementation of the Recommendations of the Standing Committee Report to MOP6 on the Progress of implementation of the AEWA Strategic...

02 February, 2017 /

Every January, many people from all over Europe go out in cold weather to count waterbirds for the International Waterbird Census (IWC), the monitoring scheme, which provides clarity on waterbird populations and their trends. In Italy, there is good cooperation in place in many areas between professional ornithologists, bird watchers and hunters to ensure good coverage of wetlands, particularly the biggest ones, such as Venice Lagoon and Po delta. Under the umbrella of ISPRA, The Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research,...

02 February, 2017 /

The Holsteiner Lebensraum Project aims to restore the ecological connectivity of the Kreis Segeberg Region (North Germany). Species and habitats became fragmented mainly due to the building of two highways. One of the main objectives was to develop the Holsteiner Lebensraum Korridore in conjunction with a range of partners, including the Kreis Segeberg eV hunters. Several actions are set up at different scales and for different habitats, including: The construction of a green bridge over the highway to reconnect the forest. Deer and...

27 January, 2017 /

FACE supports the appeal to gather donations for the emergency monitoring of waterbirds in Southeastern Europe launched by Wetlands International. Wetlands International manages the Waterbird Fund - established after the invitation of the UNEP African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands - and set up to strengthen the monitoring and conservation of waterbirds in the context of the 51st International Waterbird Census. Monitoring – long-term, repeated data collection – is the foundation for managing and understanding wetlands and...

20 January, 2017 /

Strasbourg, 17 January 2017 – The European Parliament Intergroup “Biodiversity, Hunting, Countryside” hosted the debate “How to Manage Overabundant Species: The Example of Goose Management” at the European Parliament in Strasbourg. The debate had as its main focus how so called “adaptive harvest management” may have advantages over traditional approaches in the conservation and management of Europe’s goose populations. It was organised by the Federation of Associations for Hunting & Conservation of the EU (FACE), chaired by MEP Karl-Heinz Florenz,...

17 January, 2017 /

On 17th January 2017, the European Parliament Intergroup “Biodiversity, Hunting, Countryside” will host a debate entitled: “How to Manage Overabundant Species: The Example of Goose Management” at the European Parliament in Strasbourg. The meeting will discuss how adaptive harvest management can inform the conservation and management of Europe’s goose populations, in particular, for abundant and increasing populations of geese. The concept of adaptive harvest management in Europe emerged recently from the AEWA Guidelines on Sustainable Harvest of Migratory Waterbirds and work...

13 January, 2017 /

The European Union (EU) Regulation on Invasive Alien Species (IAS), which established the first EU list of IAS, came into force in July 2016. The list currently comprises 37 species (23 animals and 14 plants) considered to have potential adverse impacts across the EU. CONSEQUENCES OF THE LIST This Regulation sets out the restrictions and measures that will now apply to the species on the Union list on keeping, importing, selling, breeding and growing. Among the 23 animal species on the list, four...

11 January, 2017 /

The Diana Club of the Polish Hunting Association (Polski Związek Łowiecki) was created in March 2014 in order to improve the image of hunting in Poland, exchange hunting experiences and elaborate on educational activities from different perspectives. It has 141 members and represents almost 3% out of the total number of active women hunters in Poland (there are currently 3244 women hunters in this country). The members of the Diana Club participate in shooting competitions and hunting dog trials, but they...

21 December, 2016 /

FACE publishes a yearly report presenting the results of the Biodiversity Manifesto process while demonstrating European hunter’s contribution to nature conservation. Since 2013, FACE has been gathering evidence to evaluate progress under the Biodiversity Manifesto. In 2015, FACE published its first BDM report, which presented how 181 conservation projects involving hunters linked to the targets of the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020. The report demonstrated that 23 of the 34 BDM actions directly contributed to the EU’s Strategy. 2016 was dominated by...

21 December, 2016 /

The position of the UNEP/CMS/FAO Co-Convened Scientific Task Force on Avian Influenza and Wild Birds has been published. Hunters as watchdogs for the health of wildlife: 7.000.000 hunters in Europe play a key role in monitoring the health status of our wildlife, in particular, for reporting potential cases of avian flu. As avian flu is spreading across Europe, hunters should remain alert and scale-up surveillance. Report any suspected cases (of sick or dead birds) to national authorities. Birds infected may die suddenly or...

20 December, 2016 /

FACE attended the 1st Meeting of the AEWA European Goose Management Platform in Kristianstad, Sweden from 13-16 December 2016. This process marks the beginning of a more coordinated and science-based approach towards the conservation and sustainable use of goose populations within Europe. The proposed structure of the European Goose Management Platform (EGMP) will require an AEWA-led coordination unit, a data centre and participation by multiple countries and representative organisations, including FACE. This management structure will ensure an internationally coordinated decision-making process. The...

16 December, 2016 /

This wetland restoration project takes place on a hunter’s 30 ha landholding in Flanders (Belgium). The site forms part of a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) under Natura 2000 and the objective is it to restore an Annex I habitat; an alluvial forest with Alder (Alnus glutinosa) and Ash (Fraxinus excelsior). Between 2012 and 2013, with the financial support of Agentschap voor Natuur en Bos (Agency for Nature and Forest) and Natura 2000 subsidies combined with hunters’ assistance in the field,...

14 December, 2016 /
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