Wildlife Conservation

Brussels, 9 March 2018 - There are “winners” and “losers” in the conservation of wildlife in Africa! H.E. the Ambassador of Zimbabwe proclaimed at the conference “Keep Calm and Let Africa Take the Lead. The EU-Africa Dialogue: Supporting communities in wildlife conservation” on 6 March 2018 at the European Parliament in Brussels. He stated that Southern African nations were amongst the “winners” with increasing national wildlife populations. FOR MORE INFO AND PICTURES VISIT AFRICALEADS.EU At this conference, organised by MEP Karl-Heinz Florenz,...

09 March, 2018 /

TUESDAY, 6 MARCH 2018, 14.30 - 18.00 EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, BRUSSELS – ROOM ASP 5E2 INTERPRETATION EN-DE-FR The conference “Keep calm and let Africa take the lead: Supporting communities in wildlife conservation through African-EU dialogue” is hosted by MEP Karl-Heinz Florenz, President of the European Parliament’s Intergroup on “Biodiversity, Hunting, Countryside”, and organised by the Federation of Association for Hunting and Conservation of the EU (FACE) in coordination with the International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC), the European Landowners’ Organisation (ELO) and...

19 February, 2018 /

FACE ist äußerst erfreut darüber, dass in Deutschland im Koalitionsvertrag zwischen den Parteien CDU, CSU und SPD vom 07.02.2018 die Überprüfung des Schutzstatuts des Wolfs festgeschrieben wurde. Was FACE schon lange gegenüber den Europäischen Institutionen gefordert hat, nämlich die notwendige Herbeiführung einer angemessenen Bestandsreduktion, soll nun durch die „Entwicklung eines Kriterien- und Maßnahmenkatalogs zur Entnahme von Wölfen“ erreicht werden. FACE Präsident Dr. Michl Ebner betont: „Die 7 Millionen europäischen Jäger nehmen mit großer Genugtung zur Kenntnis, dass nun endlich die...

12 February, 2018 /

From 5-8 December 2017, Contracting Parties to the Bern Convention gathered in Strasbourg for the 37th annual meeting of its Standing Committee. Experts and NGO representatives, including FACE, joined national delegates to discuss the outcomes of activities implemented throughout 2017, in particular on the control of invasive alien species, the eradication of illegal killing of birds, the relation between biodiversity and climate change, and the management of protected areas. On invasive alien species (IAS), FACE was pleased to see that its...

16 December, 2017 /

The European Parliament voted overwhelmingly in support of a more pragmatic approach to EU nature conservation. During the plenary session in Strasbourg on 15 November, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on the “Action Plan for Nature, People and the Economy”, which was the result of the “Fitness Check” of the EU nature directives. In this resolution the Members of the European Parliament called for a flexible and adaptive approach to nature conservation, in particular it acknowledged that some populations of...

16 November, 2017 /

FACE and the Safari Club International (SCI) together organised a dinner debate in the European Parliament on 16 October 2017. The subject of the debate was the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES), with a focus on role of trophy hunting in conservation. The evening provided a lively debate on these topics among members of the European Parliament, the European Commission, representatives Zambia and Namibia and different stakeholders, including the leadership of SCI’s...

20 October, 2017 /

Much more effective measures need to be implemented now to mitigate the increasing conflicts between humans and large carnivores in Europe. This was the main message emerging from the conference “Coexisting with Large Carnivores: Challenges and Solutions” on 17 October 2017, at the European Parliament in Brussels. The conference was hosted by MEP Karl-Heinz Florenz, EPP Group, President of the European Parliament’s Intergroup on “Biodiversity, Hunting, Countryside” and organised by FACE, the Federation of Associations for Hunting and Conservation of the...

19 October, 2017 /

From 12 to 14 October 2017, FACE attended a regional workshop of the EU Large Carnivore Platform in the Alpine region of Italy. The workshop was organised by the European Landowners’ Organisation (ELO) and EUROPARC. The goal was to provide examples of best practices of coexistence between people and large carnivores in mountainous/alpine areas. The workshop took place in the Parco Naturale Prealpi Guilie, near Venzone in Italy. At the meeting, the presentations focused on the role of communication in improving...

12 October, 2017 /

The conference “Coexisting with Large Carnivores: Challenges and Solutions” is hosted by MEP Karl-Heinz Florenz, President of the European Parliament Intergroup “Biodiversity, Hunting, Countryside”, and organised by FACE, the Federation of Associations for Hunting and Conservation of the EU. The conference will take place on 17 October 2017 at the European Parliament, Brussels. Recent data indicate that most large carnivore populations are stable or increasing in Europe’s densely populated multifunctional landscapes. While this trend provides a reason to celebrate, many conflicts...

05 October, 2017 /

The 18th International Wildlife Law Conference will be held in Tilburg, the Netherlands, on 18-19 April 2018. The conference is being organised by Tilburg University’s Department of European and International Public Law. An optional post-conference field trip, arranged with Staatsbosbeheer, will be held on April 20, 2018. The Conference will include papers on a range of legal and policy frameworks for achieving transboundary conservation, including the various global and regional wildlife treaties and the European Union’s Nature Directives. Papers are invited...

07 September, 2017 /

On 22 June 2017, FACE attended a two day meeting in Sliema, Malta, to make progress towards eradicating the Illegal Killing, Taking and Trade of Migratory Wild Birds (IKB). The meeting was chaired by the Maltese Government and attended by over 80 participants from 24 countries in Europe, 17 of which are EU member states, 29 observer organisations that included NGOs, enforcement groups and networks and scientific organisations. The meeting was part of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) Intergovernmental Task Force...

18 July, 2017 /

On Tuesday 27 June, the conference “Perspectives on Combating Illegal Killing: The Role of Hunters”, organised by FACE, the Federation of Associations for Hunting and Conservation of the EU and hosted by MEP Karl-Heinz Florenz at the European Parliament in Brussels, discussed the contribution of hunters in combating illegal killing. MEP Karl-Heinz Florenz, President of the Intergroup ‘Biodiversity, Hunting, Countryside’ and Chair of the meeting, stated that: “Hunters have an important role to play in tackling illegal killing, through their involvement...

29 June, 2017 /

Brussels, 27 June 2017 – FACE welcomes that a majority of EU Member States rejected a proposal by the German Environment Ministry to introduce severe restrictions on the importation of hunting trophies for non-threatened CITES species into the European Union (Annex B species). The proposal, which was discussed on the 20-21 June in Brussels by EU Member States’ CITES representatives during closed-door meetings, was not supported due to the obvious lack of scientific evidence. It has become apparent that the proposal...

27 June, 2017 /

On the 19th of June 2017, EU Member states approved the inclusion of 12 new species to the list of Invasive Alien Species of EU concern. The additions comprise of 3 animals and 9 plants. The list counts now 49 species (new species in bold): 26 animal species: - Amur Sleeper Perccottus glenii - Asian Hornet Vespa velutina - Chinese Mitten Crab Eriocheir sinensis - Coypu Myocastor coypus - Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiaca - Fox Squirrel Sciurus niger - Grey Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis - Indian House Crow Corvus...

27 June, 2017 /

In conjunction with their national partners, FACE and WWF organised a regional workshop of the Large Carnivore Platform in Bucharest, Romania on Coexistence between people and large carnivores: Sharing good practice in monitoring and communication. Together with the Secretariat of the Platform, they brought together the different actors involved with large carnivore management in Romania. There was a great variety of presentations, with a focus on the conservation, management and monitoring of large carnivores in different European countries. The workshop aimed at...

16 June, 2017 /

The conference, hosted by MEP Karl-Heinz Florenz, President of Intergroup “Biodiversity, Hunting, Countryside”, and organised in cooperation with FACE will take place on Tuesday 27th June at the European Parliament in Brussels. The conference “Perspectives on Combating Illegal Killing: The Role of Hunters” will discuss the contribution of hunters to combating illegal killing. It will include presentations on the illegal killing of large carnivores as defiance of authorities, solutions to dealing with illegal killing in Africa and in the Mediterranean Region,...

15 June, 2017 /

From the 1-3 of June, FACE attended the 12th meeting of the Group of Experts of the Bern Convention on Invasive Alien Species in Madeira (Portugal). At the meeting, Member States presented their implementation reports on the European Strategy on IAS. A number of NGOs also presented their reports and progress made on IAS. FACE’s Conservation Policy Assistant, Monia Anane, participated in this meeting and presenting the updated FACE Implementation Report of the Code of Conduct on Hunting and IAS. This included...

05 June, 2017 /

Every June, the EU Platform on Coexistence with Large Carnivores convenes in Brussels for their plenary meeting. Items on the agenda included the presentation of the case studies analysis by the Platform secretariat. The final report on the case studies will be presented next year. After that there were presentations of regional platforms dealing with large carnivores: the Alpine Convention platform, the Carpathian Convention and the Switzerland large carnivore platform. There was also some preparatory work for the regional workshop in Romania,...

02 June, 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 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 /

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 /

Between 15-18th of November 2016, FACE attended the 36th meeting of the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention in Strasbourg. This year, the focus of the meeting was on the outcomes of the 2016 meetings and activities, in particular, the issue of bird conservation, the fight against invasive alien species, the relationship between biodiversity and climate change, and the management of protected areas. Regarding the North American Mink, the Bern Convention now recommends that Contracting Parties: “Carry out national campaigns aimed to...

23 November, 2016 /

When the world’s largest wildlife trade summit concluded on 4 October 2016 in Johannesburg, South Africa, hunters could rejoice over a number of victories. FACE is pleased to see that its recommendations have been followed for practically all of our key issues as outlined in our Conservation Guide. This confirms that conservation through sustainable use and the important role of hunters are still at the core of CITES. During two weeks, the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP17)...

28 October, 2016 /

The European Federation for Hunting and Conservation (FACE), the International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC), and the European Landowners Organisation (ELO) condemn the recent decision of the Environmental Minister of Romania to unilaterally suspend evidence-based management of large carnivores. Large carnivores represent one of Europe’s greatest conservation challenges. However, the Carpathian Mountains boast one of the largest and densest large carnivore populations in the western world—including Europe and North America. This widely acclaimed conservation success story demonstrates that decisions...

18 October, 2016 /

The 183 countries that are parties to the CITES convention have unanimously adopted an important resolution on trade in hunting trophies in which they recognise that “well-managed and sustainable trophy hunting is consistent with and contributes to species conservation, as it provides both livelihood opportunities for rural communities and incentives for habitat conservation, and generates benefits which can be invested for conservation purposes”. Initiated by the European Union and South Africa, the resolution can be seen as a welcome response to...

06 October, 2016 /
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