Nature Conservation

The project of this month reflects the problem of biodiversity loss on farmland in Europe and demonstrates how hunters contribute to nature conservation in the Netherlands. Agricultural areas in The Netherlands are increasingly becoming more intensive, industrial and monotonous. This means that wildlife from extensive managed crops and grassland is going down in many areas. For wildlife like Pheasants, Grey Partridge and in future also Hare, this represents a serious threat. They depend on a diverse landscape in which they can...

28 April, 2017 /

Examples from Europe where hunting positively influences the conservation of threatened species. In 2017, FACE gathered nine projects in five countries in Europe where hunters are involved in the conservation of threatened species. Hunting, as an activity, creates a powerful incentive for the promotion of biodiversity conservation. Species that are threatened by changing land uses and farming practices, like the Grey Partridge and the Red Grouse, can benefit from actions of hunters. It is in all our interest to conserve biodiversity;...

25 April, 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 /

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 /

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 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 /

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 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 /

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 /

On the 7 December 2016, EU Commissioners confirmed the next steps of the Fitness Check of the Birds and Habitats Directives. Thus far, the extensive consultation process has pointed to the need for better implementation, increased funding for nature conservation, and fully addressing the drivers of biodiversity loss in the wider countryside. On the basis of today’s debate, the European Commission will develop an implementation Action Plan to improve implementation of the Birds and Habitats Directives. This Action Plan will likely contain...

07 December, 2016 /

Since 1995, the Hellenic Hunters Confederation has been conducting the program “ARTEMIS I” “ARTEMIS I” aims to: Monitor the status, population trends and population structure of game species in Greece Acquire the necessary knowledge to achieve objective and rational management of game species Evaluate all the management measures which have been applied during previous years Confront the lack of scientific data on behalf of the state concerning hunting activity and game species population status Disprove subjective data on the state of game populations and hunting...

24 November, 2016 /

The EU 2020 Biodiversity Strategy requires in its Target 2 that ‘by 2020, ecosystems and their services are maintained and enhanced by establishing green infrastructure and restoring at least 15% of degraded ecosystems’. To assist in developing this target, FACE participated in an EU technical workshop on Green Infrastructure and Restoration in Brussels the 24th and 25th of October. In 2013, the EU adopted a Green Infrastructure (GI) Strategy, which seeks to set up a physical and functional transboundary network of...

31 October, 2016 /

The Lintulahdet Life project (Bird Bays Life) restored 12 wetland sites where 35 (Annex I) bird species come to rest or breed. Finnish local hunters succeeded in reducing the numbers of predators to improve nesting success in these areas. The project was carried out in the Uusimaa region and in Southeast Finland. The project, which took place from 2003 to 2007, focused on the restoration and management of a number of important wetland for birds along the Gulf of Finland migratory...

26 October, 2016 /

The document “Hunting & Conservation of Wild Birds in the EU” is a guidance document for European and national policy makers on the implementation and interpretation of the Birds Directive in relation to hunting. This “White Paper” was developed by the European Association for Regional Hunting Traditions (AECT) in close cooperation with FACE who adopted it on 28 September 2016. It assesses of the impact of the Birds Directive on sustainable bird hunting practices in Europe, and in particular on the...

05 October, 2016 /

Brenne Regional Natural Park, managed by the Indre Department, contains 3000 artificial ponds, which have been created since the Middle Age for fish farming. Due to its natural richness, most of this wetland area is designated under Ramsar and the Natura 2000 Network In 1993, the Wildlife Habitats Foundation bought 200 hectares of this site and, with the help of the Indre Federation of Hunters, acts to safeguard the habitat threatened by agricultural abandonment, but also to promote biodiversity and raise...

19 September, 2016 /

Wetlands provide countless benefits or “ecosystem services”, which range from supplying freshwater, food and biodiversity, to flood control, groundwater recharge, and climate change mitigation. Throughout Europe, wetlands continue to decline in area and quantity despite numerous policy and legal targets to halt their decline[1]. The main causes of wetland loss include land use change to forestry and agriculture, urbanisation, invasive alien species and climate change. Hunting and wetland conservation Of the 208 projects currently listed in the FACE Biodiversity Manifesto, 90 are active...

05 August, 2016 /

The latest national survey conducted in the Republic of Ireland suggested that Irish Red Grouse (Lagopus lagopus hibernicus) suffered a 70% decline in 40 years to a population of roughly 4,200 birds. While many projects were initiated in response to this, the Boleybrack Mountain Red Grouse Project stands out as a best case example. Glenfarne Gun Club began a habitat management program to increase the red grouse population on neighbouring Boleybrack Mountain Special Area of Conservation. In doing so, Glenfarne Gun Club...

04 August, 2016 /

Spanish and Portuguese hunters participated in the successful project LIFE+IBERLINCE, which has tripled the number of Iberian lynx in only one decade from less than 100 individuals in 2002 to more than 400 in 2015. LIFE+Iberlince has been running from 2011, and will finish in 2017; there have also been three other previous Life projects since 2002. The current project, “Recovery of the historical distribution of the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) in Spain and Portugal”, was set up by the...

13 July, 2016 /

The European Commission has made public its expert study: Evaluation Study to Support the Fitness Check of the Birds and Habitats Directives. The study, which was completed in March 2016, was only made public yesterday due to an official access to document request made by the WWF The report was prepared by a group of experts led by Milieu Ltd. on the request of the European Commission in the framework of its “Fitness Check” of the Birds and Habitats Directives. In...

09 July, 2016 /

The development of the revised Strategic Plan for the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) for the period 2019 – 2027 was formally launched at the meeting of the AEWA Strategic Plan Working Group in Bonn on the 28-30 June 2016. FACE was represented by Dr. David Scallan. The meeting brought together a wide range of AEWA stakeholders, including designated representatives from Contracting Parties, members of both the Standing and Technical Committees as well as a number of key AEWA partner organizations. Aside...

07 July, 2016 /

Hunters team up with public bodies responsible for state forestry services in Poland in order to preserve the country’s capercaillie population. In the provinces of Dolnoslaskie in Poland’s South-East, and Podlaskie in the North-West, populations of capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus), the largest member of the Grouse family, are in decline. At the beginning of the 20th century there were more than 3000 capercaillies living in Poland, however recent population estimates put the current figure at 350-450 individuals. Shrinking populations of...

04 May, 2016 /
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