Hi everybody -
For your interest, below is a press release that was sent out on behalf of
the BirdLife International Partnership by Ligue pour la Protection des
Oiseaux (BirdLife
Partner in France) and with the collaboration of France Nature Environment.
Cheers,
Hugo
------------------------------------------------------------
29th February 2000
PRESS RELEASE
The most successful conservation petition ever !
The BirdLife/Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux/France Nature
Environnement Petition in favour of migratory birds and in support of the
Birds Directive has collected over 2 million signatures from the 15 Member
States and especially from France. 2 million European citizens ask European
Members of Parliament to support strong nature conservation laws in the
European Union.
The petition will be presented to Madame Nicole Fontaine, President of the
European Parliament at 1pm on March 1st 2000 in Brussels by Dr. Michael
Rands (Director and Chief Executive of BirdLife International), M. Allain
Bougrain-Dubourg (President of the Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux)
and M. Lionel Brard (Honorary President of France Nature Environnement).
Mrs. Dorette Corbey, MEP and Environment Committee Rapporteur for the Birds
Directive will be attending.
A French law, passed in 1998, allows hunters to start shooting birds as
early as mid-July in some areas, continuing until the end of February,
making France the only European country with a hunting season of 7 1/2
months - the European average is only 5 1/2 months. The early start means
some birds will still be nesting when shooting begins and the extra month
of hunting during February occurs when many British birds are migrating
back to breed.
The French law is incompatible with the European Union Birds Directive
which is designed to give protection to birds during the breeding season
and during migration to their breeding grounds. The European Commission has
already initiated a case against France before the European Court of
Justice. French hunters are calling for the Birds Directive to be weakened
to allow their law to stand.
The 2 million signatories to the petition demand that:
* the European Parliament resists moves to modify the EU Birds Directive
and presses for strong implementation of the Directive when it is not
complied with
* the French Government repeals the French law of 3 July 1988 and shortens
the hunting season to comply with the Birds Directive as soon as possible.
The petition will be formally presented to Madame Nicole Fontaine,
President of the European Parliament, on 1 March in Brussels.
Alistair Gammell, RSPB director of international affairs, said: "The size
of the petition is a clear indication of the strength of feeling across
Europe for the need for adequate wild bird protection. Any weakening of
the Birds Directive is unacceptable and the present French laws must be
brought in line with the rest of the EU. Many bird species in Europe are
declining because of habitat destruction and intensification of
agriculture. People in this country do not want their birds further
threatened by hunting at the time they are returning to breed in the UK."
For further information contact:
Alison Duncan, LPO tel : + 33 5 46 82 12 55 fax : + 33 5 46 82 12 50
e-mail : (English)
Photographs of lapwing, black-tailed godwit, song thrush and lapwing are
available in traditional or digital format to accompany this story.
Contact RSPB images on 00 44 171 490 1710; FAX 00 44 171 490 1511;
e-mail
Images can also be viewed via the Internet at www.rspb-images.com
Additional notes
1. Number of signatures obtained
EU COUNTRIES
FRANCE (1,129,797)
UNITED KINGDOM (521,850)
ITALY (123,164)
BELGIUM (121,777)
GERMANY (45,775)
AUSTRIA (30,415)
GREECE (24,242)
SPAIN (20,069)
SWEDEN (13,576)
FINLAND (10,691)
PORTUGAL (9,134)
NETHERLANDS (8,937)
LUXEMBOURG (8,236)
DENMARK (5,703)
IRELAND (1,170)
TOTAL 2,074,536
NON-EU COUNTRIES
SWITZERLAND (30,541)
CZECH REPUBLIC (11,406)
POLAND (8,428)
BULGARIA (3,473)
SLOVAKIA (2,717)
LATVIA (2,006)
NORWAY (1,151)
ROMANIA (501)
SLOVENIA (96)
Others (4,401)
TOTAL 64,720
GRAND TOTAL 2,139,256
2. In the UK the petition was supported by: the RSPB; The Scottish
Ornithologists' Club; The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust; The Wildlife Trusts;
and The Hawk and Owl Trust. Versions of the same petition were produced
across Europe and were supported by more than 520 NGOs.
3. In July 1998, due to pressure from the hunting lobby, the French
Parliament passed a law that allows a prolonged hunting season in France,
lasting up to 71/2 months. This is illegal under the EU Directive on the
Conservation of Wild Birds because of its potential detrimental effects on
many wild bird populations. The French hunters are now seeking to weaken
the Directive to legalise their extended hunting season which now runs from
as early as mid July to 28 February.
4. On 16 February 2000 the French environment minister, Dominique Voynet,
presented a draft law to reform the hunting laws . It leaves unchanged the
existing hunting season from mid-July to the end of February and instead
includes a 'hunting-free' day on Wednesdays, ends a ban on night hunting in
certain regions, and abolishes the law that obliges landowners to allow
hunting on their land.
5. France permits hunting of 50 migratory bird species, including:
Garganey
Oystercatcher
Lapwing
Golden Plover
Curlew
Whimbrel
Black-tailed Godwit
Bar-tailed Godwit
Greenshank
Redshank
Spotted redshank
Ruff
Turtle dove
Skylark
Blackbird
Fieldfare
Song thrush
Redwing
Mistle thrush
6. Species hunted illegally include:
Turtle dove
Robin
Greenfinch
Chaffinch
Brambling
---------------------------------------------------------------
Hugo Phillipps
Communications Coordinator
Birds Australia
415 Riversdale Road
HAWTHORN EAST 3123, Australia
Tel: (03) 9882 2622, fax: (03) 9882 2677
Email: <>
Web site: <http://www.birdsaustralia.com.au>
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