Hunting and Europe's environmental balance

Doc. 10576

10 June 2005

Hunting and Europe's environmental balance

Recommendation 1689 (2004)

Reply from the Committee of Ministers

adopted at the 929^th meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies (8 June 2005)

1. The Committee of Ministers has considered Parliamentary Assembly Recommendation 1689 (2004) on hunting and Europe’s environmental balance. It supports the argument that game tourism should be subject to the specific attention of governments so as to avoid the effect of excessive hunting on certain vulnerable species or an unsustainable human pressure on areas of interest for nature. In this respect, the Committee of Ministers recalls the general principles contained in the Appendix to its Recommendation No. R (94) 7 to member states on a General policy for sustainable and environment-friendly tourism development. The Recommendation’s General principle 2 states that "every planned tourism activity should be geared to sustainable development and its impact on environment should be assessed".

2. As regards Parliamentary Assembly recommendation 6.iii concerning the harmonisation of the systems for training hunters on a European scale, the Committee of Ministers notes that the principles established in its Recommendation No. R (85) 17 to member states on the training of hunters are still fully valid and that appendix 2 to this Recommendation contains "suggestions for a code of conduct for hunters" listing principles and good practices for hunting. These are aimed at encouraging hunters to adopt practices and attitudes that will result in greater respect for ecological considerations and more sustainable hunting. Appendix 1 to that same Recommendation provides suggestions for the hunters’ examination syllabus which could form the basis of a possible harmonised European hunter examination and related training courses.

3. As regards recommendation 6.ii on creating of mixed pan-European network, the Committee of Ministers considers that the monitoring of the conservation status of populations of bird species protected by the Bern Convention and listed in the latter’s Appendices II and III, which include all birds regularly hunted, is already carried out at national level by governments, conservation agencies, scientific institutions and ornithologists in an efficient manner in most Council of Europe states, and other hunters’ organisations and conservation organisations (in particular BirdLife partners) are often associated with data gathering and analysis. Moreover, given that there already exists a coordination mechanism at a scientific level for both the population data gathering (counting of individuals, ringing, etc.) and their collection and analysis at the European level, the Committee of Ministers considers that no new network is therefore necessary to carry out this task.

4. As regards recommendation 6.i on drawing up a European Charter on hunting, the Committee of Ministers informs the Assembly that the Bern Convention Bureau is in favour of elaborating such a Charter, in cooperation with the stakeholders concerned, dealing with all relevant aspects of hunting and wildlife conservation. The Bureau has decided to include this project in the agenda of the next meeting of the Standing Committee and, subject to its agreement, in the work programme for 2006.

5. Finally, the Committee of Ministers reiterates its invitation to those member states which have not yet done so, to sign and ratify the Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats, which also provides a legal framework for the regulation of the hunting of species so as to keep their populations out of danger.

Appendix to the reply

Opinion of the Bern Convention Bureau

on Recommendation 1689 (2004) of the Parliamentary Assembly

on Hunting and Europe’s environmental balance

The Bern Convention Bureau:

- welcomes Recommendation 1689 (2004) of the Parliamentary Assembly on hunting and Europe’s environmental balance as it considers that hunting, if properly managed, can play a role in maintaining and enhancing many areas of natural interest in Europe;

- welcomes the idea of elaborating, in cooperation with concerned stakeholders, a European Charter of Hunting dealing with all relevant aspects of hunting and wildlife conservation;

- recalls that the Council of Europe Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern Convention) already provides a legal framework to regulate the hunting of species so as to keep their populations out of danger;

- notes that the principles established in Recommendation No. R (85) 17 of the Committee of Ministers to member states on the training of hunters are still fully valid;

- notes that Appendix 2 to Recommendation No. R (85) 17 of the Committee of Ministers already contains “suggestions for a code of conduct for hunters” which lists principles and good practices for hunting aimed at encouraging hunters to adopt practices and attitudes that will result in a greater respect for ecological considerations and more sustainable hunting;

- notes that the monitoring of the conservation status of populations of bird species protected by the Bern Convention and listed in its Appendices II and III, which include all birds regularly hunted, is already carried out at the national level by governments, conservation agencies, scientific institutions, and ornithologists in a very efficient manner in most Council of Europe states, and other hunters organisations and conservation organisations (in particular BirdLife partners) are often associated to data gathering and analysis;

- furthermore notes that there are already mechanism of coordination at the scientific level for both the gathering of population data (counting of inviduals, ringing, etc.) and their collection and analysis at the European level, and that no new network is therefore necessary to carry out this task;

- recalls that Appendix 1 to Recommandation No. R (85) 17 provides suggestions for the hunters’ examination syllabus which could form the basis of a possible harmonised European hunter examination and related training courses;

- considers that game tourism should be subject to specific attention by governments to avoid the effect of excessive hunting on certain vulnerable species or lead to unsustainable human pressure on areas of interest for nature, in particular those included in the Bern Convention Emerald Network and the European Union Natura 2000 Network;

- believes that organisers of game tourism should make special efforts to ensure that their clients are aware of the hunting legislation of the country visited, so as to respect scrupulously its laws and regulations, including those on the export of trophies;

- recalls that the general principles mentioned in the Appendix to Recommendation No. R (94) 7 of the Committee of Ministers to member states on a general policy for sustainable and environment-friendly tourism development, in particular General principle 2 which states that "every planned tourism activity should be geared to sustainable development and its impact on the environment assessed".

The Bern Convention Bureau suggests that the Deputies may wish to:

• encourage the governments of member states of the Council of Europe to promote principles for sustainable hunting such as those suggested for a “code of conduct for hunters” appended to Recommendation No. R (85) 17 of the Committee of Ministers on the training of hunters;

• invite the governments of member states to launch campaigns aimed at directing the behaviour of hunters toward practices that are more respectful of the ecological and social values of nature and game;

• invite the governments of member states to ensure that domestic legislation on hunting is fully compatible with the provisions in the Bern Convention, and it is strictly enforced, reinforcing where necessary controls on procedures and introducing penalties for non-respect of hunting regulations more dissuasive than those existing at present;

• invite the governments of member states to pay particular attention to game tourism, ensuring that it is carried out in full respect of the legislations of all states involved and that it does not cause unsustainable pressure on game species or natural habitats protected by the Bern Convention;

• invite the governments of member states to promote, in close co-operation with hunting organisations, the training of hunters taking into account the proposals for the hunters’ examination syllabus specified in Appendix 1 of Recommendation No. R (85) 17;

• invite member states that have not yet signed or ratified the Bern Convention to consider its signature and ratification;

• invite the governments of member states to encourage dialogue between all sectors of society interested in hunting (hunters, conservationists, foresters, farmers, animal welfare organisations, etc.) so that they may all co-operate in the preservation of the environment and the maintenance in favourable conservation status of game species;

• invite the governments of member states both to assess the possible impact on the environment of game tourism and ensure that planned game tourism activities are geared to sustainable development, as proposed by general principle 2 of Appendix 1 to Recommendation No. R (94) 7 of the Committee of Ministers to member states on a general policy for sustainable and environment-friendly tourism development;

• invite the Standing Committee to the Bern Convention to consider the elaboration, in cooperation with concerned stakeholders, of a European Charter on Hunting dealing with all relevant aspects of hunting and wildlife conservation.