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BIRDS DIRECTIVE: THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION WELCOMES AGREEMENT BETWEEN HUNTERS AND CONSERVATIONISTS

15-10-2004: On 12 October 2004 , an agreement on the Birds Directive was signed between hunters and bird conservationists with the support of the Environment Commissioner Margot Wallstrom.This agreement represents a key achievement of the Sustainable Hunting Initiative, launched in 2001 by the Commission, which aimed at constructive dialogue between hunters and bird conservation societies so as to develop a charter on sustainable hunting under the Birds Directive.. The key partners in this initiative, BirdLife International and the Federation of Associations for Hunting and Conservation of the EU (FACE) started a dialogue supported by the Commission which led to a draft agreement. This is a significant achievement considering that, when the initiative was launched the two organisations were having a major conflict regarding hunting under the Birds Directive and the debate was increasingly polarised.

The Birds Directive fully recognises the legitimacy of hunting and endorses the concept of wise use and good management of bird populations. The Commission has always considered that hunters and bird conservationists have much in common as they each have a sound knowledge of nature and a vested interest in ensuring the continued survival of the species.

This prompted the Commission to start up a Sustainable Hunting Initiative in 2001 to try to create a constructive dialogue between hunters and bird conservationists. 3 years on, the key partners – BirdLife International and FACE – have reached an agreement on ten points which will enable hunting to continue within a well-regulated framework, whilst fully respecting the provisions of the Directive. This agreement was signed at a high profile event on the 12th October 2004 and marks the beginning of the end of more than a decade of emotive conflict (e.g. opposing petitions to EP secured millions of signatures).

Consensus was reached on the following elements to form the basis for an Agreement:
Both organisations recognize the Birds Directive as the appropriate legal instrument for the conservation of both wild birds and their habitats at a favourable conservation status at EU level. Neither organisation has the intention of taking or supporting initiatives aimed at amending the text of the Birds Directive. In the longer term, the two organisations envisage the possibility of a consolidation of the existing EU legal instruments for wildlife conservation, respecting their fundamental principles and without weakening the current provisions of the Birds Directive.

They also acknowledge the historic and continuing significance of the compromises embedded in the Birds Directive in regard to hunting, and accept to jointly promoting strategic conservation priorities such as working towards the target of halting biodiversity decline by 2010, the protection of sites and CAP reform.

Both organisations support the establishment of the NATURA 2000 Network and recognize the importance of effective habitat protection and active management for biodiversity conservation. They stress that in principle NATURA 2000 designations is compatible with hunting, acknowledging that properly managed hunting inside NATURA 2000 sites can continue so long as it is compatible with the site's conservation objectives. On the same context they consider desirable to reach local, regional or national agreements on bird hunting practices, to establish constructive dialogue between local stakeholders. National Partners or Members of both organisations are free to work towards achieving more ambitious targets for biodiversity, sustainable hunting and bird conservation.

The Commission, who has been acting as a facilitator throughout the process, is willing to promote this contractual approach between key stakeholders, such as farmers, fishermen and other land users. This is also fully in line with the ‘El Teide Declaration – Natura 2000: a partnership for Natura” signed by all 25 ministers and the Commissioner to take positive action to the target of halting the decline of biodiversity by 2010 made by the Heads of State in the Gothenburg Summit.
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