The future of European and African waterbird conservation was decided this week (4-8 December 2018) in Durban, South Africa. 78 parties attended the 7th Meeting of Parties (MoP) of the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) decided on several important developments for waterbird conservation and management...
On 30 October, the president of the Royal Spanish Hunting Federation (RFEC), Ángel López Maraver, and the president of the Federazione Italiana della Caza (FIDC), Gianluca Dall'Olio, held a meeting last Saturday with the aim of establishing strategic lines of work to fight against African swine fever (ASF) in Spain and Italy. López Maraver and Dall'Olio point out the importance of reducing wild boar populations to ensure that Spain and Italy remain free of ASF, in line with the recommendations of...
FACE has partnered with HuntMag.eu – Europe's largest growing hunting and shooting online portal which has a wide reach to a dedicated community through social media platforms and their quarterly digital publication. The concept of HuntMag.eu is to help promote and share different experiences, traditions and cultures of sustainable hunting throughout Europe. It aims to do this by working closely to the trade and the hunters in the field. Ludwig Willneger, FACE General Secretary, stated "We are very satisfied to work with...
Since the outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) in Belgium and the threat of a spread to France, Luxembourg, Germany and the Netherlands, FACE has organised weekly meetings of its ASF Task Force. This task force, which consists of experts, FACE Members and the CIC, provides a platform to exchange knowledge, news and experience between the different participants. Since its start, the task force already supported the call of Royal Saint Hubert Club de Belgique to erect a fence in the...
Bucking a major general trend, the overall status of waterbird populations listed on the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) has slightly improved over the last ten years. The findings are being released ahead of World Migratory Bird Day, an annual, UN-backed global awareness-raising and environmental education campaign focused on migratory birds and the need for international cooperation to conserve them. AEWA protects nearly half a billion waterbirds and seabirds across the African-Eurasian Flyway. More than 220 species covered by AEWA have...
The Convention in International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) concluded its meeting of the Standing Committee on 5 October 2018. The meeting saw a packed agenda, with important topics like quota for Leopard hunting trophies and the involvement in CITES of local communities and their livelihoods. This was also the last meeting before the CITES Conference of Parties (CoP), in May 2019. Leopard hunting quota Last July the CITES Animals Committee, and now the Standing Committee, reviewed the quota for Leopard...
Register now for the conference "Communicating the Role of Hunters in Europe", hosted by MEPs Renata Briano and Karl-Heinz Florenz, and organised in cooperation with FACE - European Federation for Hunting and Conservation. [button size='big' style='' text='REGISTER NOW FOR THE CONFERENCE' icon='fa-arrow-right' icon_color='' link='http://conference.face.eu/' target='_blank' color='#ffffff' hover_color='' border_color='#005000' hover_border_color='#ff7900' background_color='#005000' hover_background_color='#ff7900' font_style='' font_weight='' text_align='center' margin=''] [vc_separator type='transparent' position='center' color='' thickness='' up='8' down=''] Hunting is an integral part of European culture, providing a strong connection to nature for millions of people. Sustainable hunting also...
The urgent need for pragmatic approaches to managing wolves and the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) were key topics discussed ...
Die dringende Notwendigkeit pragmatischerer Ansätze für das Wolfsmanagement sowie die Zukunft der Gemeinsamen Agrarpolitik (GAP) standen im Vordergrund des Termines zwischen dem EU-Kommissar Dr. Johannes Hahn....
Brussels, 14 September 2018 - Europe’s hunters are deeply concerned following yesterday’s reports of African swine fever (ASF) in wild boar in Belgium. The infected animals were found in the Walloon municipality of Étalle in the province of Luxembourg. This is the first reported case of this problematic disease in western Europe, which is now present in 10 European Union (EU) countries. Urgent action from the regional, national and European authorities is needed. At the moment it is unclear how the...
Two hunters together with the Nuova Demi quarry company owner undertook to restore a wetland situated between the Brembo and Adda rivers, on a migration axis. After years of work, the site hosts now 65 ha of wetland of rare beauty and biodiversity and welcomes a huge amount of birds such as Ferruginous duck (Aythya nyroca), Tufted duck (Aythya fuligula) and Common pochard (Aythya ferina). The site has proved very welcoming for diving ducks that spend the winter there. LEARN...
Brussels, 6 September 2018 - During its 52nd General Assembly on 5 September 2018 in Brussels, FACE - the European Federation for Hunting and Conservation - elected Torbjörn Larsson as its new President and appointed a new board. In his address to FACE Members, Torbjörn Larsson stated: "I want the coming presidency to be about the future. FACE has four decades of proud work and victories in the service of its member organisations and Europe’s hunters – but the coming four...
FACE organised the conference “The Next CAP: Armageddon for hares, pheasants & Co.?” on 4 September 2018 with Members of the European Parliament, representatives from the European Commission, delegates from the European hunting associations and stakeholders. ...
Register now for the conference "The Next CAP: Armageddon for hares, pheasants & Co.?", hosted by MEP Karl-Heinz Florenz, President of the European Parliament's Intergroup on "Biodiversity, Hunting, Countryside", and organised in cooperation with FACE - European Federation for Hunting and Conservation. [button size='big' style='' text='REGISTER NOW FOR THE CONFERENCE' icon='fa-arrow-right' icon_color='' link='http://conference.face.eu/' target='_blank' color='#ffffff' hover_color='' border_color='#005000' hover_border_color='#ff7900' background_color='#005000' hover_background_color='#ff7900' font_style='' font_weight='' text_align='center' margin=''] [vc_separator type='transparent' position='center' color='' thickness='' up='8' down=''] European hunters are aware that the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is a...
PRESS RELEASE. Brussels, 30 August 2018. FACE - the European Federation for Hunting and Conservation - is extremely disappointed with the decision of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to ban the use of electronic training collars for dogs in England. While 64% of the 7,300 respondents are against a ban, it is regrettable that DEFRA still decided to support a ban on hand held remote-controlled devices. According to FACE Secretary General, Ludwig Willnegger: “FACE regrets this...
FACE is delighted that falconry is once again legal in Denmark. From 1 September 2018, all birds of prey may hunt partridge, pheasants, ducks, waders, crows and magpies, pigeons, rabbits and hares. This is an important accomplishment for falconry in Europe and a great achievement for UNESCO heritage. Falconry is practiced throughout the world and has a long-standing record of success in a wide range of conservation-related areas. Falconers actively engage in research, rehabilitation of birds of prey, education and awareness-raising, habitat...
FACE has partnered with Eagle Review - www.eagle-review.com - the No.1 travel advisor for hunting, shooting and fishing, listing over 6,000 hunting and fishing destinations across 163 countries. We will work together to ensure that hunting and fishing opportunities in Europe remain available through sustainable use of wildlife resources. Hunters have a vested interest in ensuring not only that there is wildlife to hunt but that through conservation we ensure nature and biodiversity is available for future generations. Ludwig Willnegger, FACE Secretary...
The Convention in International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) concluded its meeting of scientific experts (Animals Committee) on 21 July 2018. The major achievement was the positive outcome of the review of leopard hunting quota for several African countries: the quota of 7 countries could be retained, as the review showed that they were sustainable and not detrimental to the survival of the species. CITES regulates international trade to make sure that trade in endangered species is legal, sustainable and not...
In Center Italy, Tuscany Region, many hunters create artificial ponds for hunting purposes, and they are maintained all year long, both for water regimes and vegetation management. The pond called “Pantanelle” in Prato Municipality, not far from Firenze, is one of the most interesting of these habitat creation. LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROJECT ON THE BIODIVERSITY MANIFESTO WEBSITE...
This short documentary has been produced by the Czech-Moravian Hunting Association in cooperation with their leading experts and it focuses on the issues causing the decline of small game populations. The documentary clearly identifies that one of the most critical reasons for this decline is the way the agricultural land is managed, and in parallel it proposes possible solutions. Also, the current CAP has a significant negative impact on the environment, biodiversity and the poor status of many huntable and non-huntable...
FACE welcomes the decision (on 5 July) of the leaders of the European Parliament’s political groups to grant the Environment Committee “shared competence” with the Agriculture Committee in the environmental aspects of the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Previously, the Agriculture Committee had the dominate lead in negotiating CAP reforms within the European Parliament. Sharing certain environmental articles (via Rule 54) will lead to better negotiations on the environmental dimensions of the CAP. This is line with recent calls from the...
On 5 and 6 June, FACE attended the EU Nature Directors meeting held in Plovdiv, Bulgaria where Member States, the European Commission and stakeholder representatives met to discuss EU environment policies. The main topics included: The progress made as well as the next steps concerning the implementation of the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 and the Nature Action Plan. While discussing the EU Regulation on Invasive Alien Species (IAS), FACE reminded all Member States to involve hunters in the implementation...
Following the ruling on 21 June 2018 of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) regarding Malta’s derogation permitting the live-capturing of seven species of finches, FACE’s express its deep regret and frustration at yet another excessively restrictive interpretation of certain provisions of the Birds Directive. It is clear to FACE that the Birds Directive does not rule out the possibility that certain long-standing traditional trapping activities can be maintained in a way that fulfils the strict conditions laid down in...
Ahead of a week full of meetings for the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) and the joint EU-ACP parliamentary assembly, FACE met with the delegation from Namibia to discuss relevant topics on the agenda. Wildlife trafficking, the role of CITES, the added value of hunting to conservation and its role in combating poaching and other wildlife crime were discussed. The ACP group and the joint parliamentary assembly with the European Parliament were created to foster economic integration...
The Christmas dinner organised every year by FACE and the Association of European Manufacturers of Sporting Firearms (ESFAM) has become the annual appointment for hunters and producers of sporting and hunting firearms to meet MEPs, officials from the European Commission...
