Wildlife Conservation

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 /

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 /

Should sustainable lion and elephant hunting be restricted or banned? Or should the world community better build on the success stories of legal hunting as a tool for wildlife conservation and poverty reduction? These and many other issues are up for discussion when the world’s largest wildlife trade summit is to be held from 24 September to 5 October in Johannesburg, South Africa. CITES, which stands for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, has...

06 September, 2016 /

There are many alien (non-native) species in Europe, which can be very useful (such as the beloved potato), however, 10-15% of these alien species are considered “invasive”. Invasive Alien Species (IAS) are often referred to as species of non-native animals or plants, which generate serious negative effects on the environment, economy or even human health. For many decades, much attention has been paid to this problem at EU level with the publication of strategies, codes of conduct and new Regulations to...

17 August, 2016 /

The first “Union list” of 37 species consisting of 23 animals and 14 plants comes into force, following the recent publication (in July 2016) of Commission Implementing Regulation (2016/1141). The “Union list” comprises species considered to have potential adverse impacts across the European Union. FACE Members will recall the initial Regulation on Invasive Alien Species (1143/2014), which came into force on 1 January 2015. This Regulation sets out the restrictions and measures that will now apply to the species on the...

02 August, 2016 /

At the meeting, Government representatives and a range of other stakeholders worked on developing a comprehensive programme of work for the Task Force until 2020. The MIKT adopts a zero tolerance approach to illegal killing, trapping and trade of migratory birds (IKB). For this to be successful, it requires the full and proactive support at national level of all stakeholders. FACE has a long-standing zero tolerance policy on wildlife crime including illegal killing, as it is simply not hunting. Dr. David...

18 July, 2016 /

This morning MEPs expressed support for the EU’s proposal to have international guidelines on trade and traceability in hunting trophies. At the same time they rejected a proposal to call for a ban on trophy hunting and to ban the sale of hunting trophies. The European Parliament’s Environment Committee (ENVI) adopted a draft resolution on the EU’s strategic objectives for a major international conference on global wildlife trade, which will be held in Johannesburg, South Africa from 24 September to 5...

12 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 International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has published a paper titled ‘Informing decisions on trophy hunting - A Briefing Paper for European Union Decision-makers regarding potential plans for restriction of imports of hunting trophies’. This publication draws on a set of case studies to highlight that while there is considerable poor practice in trophy hunting and a strong need for reform, well managed trophy hunting can - and does - positively contribute to conservation and local livelihoods in...

19 April, 2016 /

The Federation of Associations for Hunting and Conservation of the EU (FACE) and The International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC), have addressed the CITES Management Authorities in all European Member States. FACE and the CIC expressed their sincere concerns about the European Commission’s draft proposals for the forthcoming 17th Conference of the Parties to CITES in September in Johannesburg, South Africa. They have criticized the proposed new regulations for the international movement of hunting trophies as disproportionate and in...

18 April, 2016 /
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