News & Events

FACE is currently attending the 36th meeting of the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention, which runs from the 15th to the 18th November 2016. The Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (or Bern Convention) is the first international agreement dedicated to nature conservation, covering most of Europe and some African countries (50 states in total). Government representatives and organisations meet once a year at the Standing Committee meeting in Strasbourg to talk about environment concerns and...

17 November, 2016 /

FACE is putting a special focus on women hunters to learn more about their motivations, challenges and views. Here’s a snapshot from Yaiza Herrero from Spain. Yaiza Herrero was born 28 years ago in Valladolid, a region famous for greyhounds. That’s how she developed a true passion for these animals: she does everything with them including hunting, playing and living with them. This young woman hunter is committed to her faithful companions. Her hunting passion is a family thing: “I usually go...

11 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 /

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 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 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 Hunters’ Federation of San Marino has become the 36 Full Member of FACE, the European Federation of Associations for Hunting and Conservation, the largest democratically representative body for hunters in the world and one of the largest European civil society organisations. The 50th General Assembly of FACE has unanimously welcomed San Marino as new Full member. With 2.000 hunters and a population of 33.000 San Marino has the highest density of hunters in Europe with 6% of its citizens holding...

16 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 /

The publication, which covers June 2014 – October 2015, outlines the background and key activities of FACE’s working areas: nature conservation, wildlife conservation, International agreements, animal welfare & health, firearms & ammunition, and hunting methods & culture. One of the most testing challenges that the FACE Annual Report 2015 refers to is the Fitness Check of the Nature Directives, a process carried out by the European Commission aimed at assessing whether or not the Birds and Habitats Directives are fit for...

30 September, 2016 /

In addition to the direct economic contribution (16 Billion Euros), hunters’ voluntary work to protect and manage species and habitats also contributes to the development of Europe’s rural areas by providing employment, increasing the social fabric of rural communities, and transmitting cultural identity and traditions. During the conference “The Economic Value of Hunting in the EU” held on 27th September 2016 at the European Parliament, FACE explained that hunting is worth 16 billion Euros for the European economy. Europe’s 7 million...

29 September, 2016 /

This manual, which is now available on the FAO website, provides both technical and operational guidance on approaches and practices adopted by countries where regulated or sport hunting is conducted. The aim is to join forces to sustainably manage wildlife, notably by deriving benefits from wildlife to support rural livelihoods, and contribute to food security and national/local economies The social and economic benefits derived from sustainable use, including revenues from trophy hunting, provides sustainable incentives for local people to conserve wildlife....

20 September, 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 /

For the past six months, FACE and its Members worked tirelessly on an IUCN motion, which was originally designed to ban all lead ammunition over all habitats, including for Olympic clay shooting disciplines. Last week, the motion was put to the floor of the IUCN World Conservation Congress (WCC) in Hawaii (1-10 September 2016). Prior to the vote at the IUCN WCC, there were three intense meetings with a range of IUCN State, Government and NGO Members. The FACE position was to keep...

15 September, 2016 /

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 27th September at the European Parliament. Jyrki Katainen, Vice President of the European Commission, will participate with a keynote. Hunting is a popular activity throughout Europe and plays an important conservation, economic and cultural role within society. During this European Parliament Intergroup “Biodiversity, Hunting, Countryside” Conference, we will explore the various economic dimensions of hunting in...

08 September, 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 /

FACE is putting a special focus on women hunters to learn more about their motivations, challenges and views. Here’s a snapshot from Esperanza Vielva in Spain. Esperanza Vielva, 26, discovered hunting only six years ago, in 2010. She has since become passionate about hunting dogs and everything else related to hunting. She states: “Since my first contact with hunting, I must say that I got hooked because of the nerves and the emotion of the activity”. Esperanza studied Law in Madrid but...

26 August, 2016 /

“A vote in the IMCO Committee of the European Parliament just confirmed that the legal users of firearms should not suffer constraints in the practice of hunting and sport shooting. Since the wave of terrorist attacks starting with the Charlie Hebdo massacre in January 2015 the European Commission and the European Council initiated a campaign in name of the fight against terrorism and organized crime, but aimed at the wrong target by proposing measures that only impacted hunters and sport...

23 August, 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 /

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 /

FACE is delighted to announce the publication of the AEWA Guidelines on Sustainable Harvest of Migratory Waterbirds. This updated report provides detailed guidance on ways of ensuring and managing sustainable harvests of waterbirds in the AEWA region. This work was developed by leading experts, including FACE staff, from within the Waterbird Harvest Specialist Group of Wetlands International. Going forward, these Guidelines have the potential to support exciting new initiatives towards ensuring cross-border waterbird conservation and management. Read the report here....

03 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 /

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), which is a highly contagious and deadly animal brain disorder, was recently detected in a wild reindeer and in two wild moose in Norway. This is the first time in history that CWD cases were detected on the European territory. The presence of CWD in Europe represents a major concern for European hunters and many other stakeholders. While there is no indication of how this disease was introduced into Norway, the European Commission (EC) recently requested FACE...

01 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 /
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