Your Reaction is needed today or tomorrow (Tuesday or Wednesday)!
HUNTING - Birdlife in Greenland under Serious Threat
Greenland authorities under heavy pressure from hunters to allow more
hunting on birds.
*******************************
Hi,
Thank you for the emails already sent to the Greenland ministers. They have
been noticed already. See further background information below.
Ministers in Greenland and other authorities are under heavy pressure to
allow more hunting on birds in Greenland.
Please send an urgent email and express your concern to:
Mr. Jonathan Motzfeldt, Homerule Prime Minister, Mr. Jonathan Motzfeldt
Mr. Edward Geisler, Homerule Minister for Health and Environment:
Mr. Hans J. Høyer, Director of Greenlandic Ministry for Environment and
Nature:
Mr. Søren Hald Møller, Director of Greenland Homerule Government:
Mr. Hans Enoksen, Homerule Minister for Fisheries, Hunting and Settlements
You could also mail a copy to the two newspapers in Greenland:
AGÊ
and
SermitsiaqÊ
and
the Greenland Radio KNRÊ
You are very welcome also to send a copy of the email to
Here your have them all: ; ; ; ;
; ; ; ;
If you are in hurry, I have made a DRAFT LETTER here:
"Dear Sirs,
I would like to congratulate you with the new improved hunting regulations
in Greenland. But I am very much concerned about the rumour that these
regulations are already being undermined almost before they came into force.
I understand that you are planning to open up again for more hunting on
Guillemots and Eiders.
The wildlife in Greenland are already heavily reduced because of hunting
during the last century, and by opening up for more hunting on these
species, you will undermine the whole attempt to reduce hunting pressure on
these highly overhunted populations.
SeveralÊ hundreds of thousands of Brünnich's Guillemots, Common and King
Eider from Canada, Iceland and Svalbard winter in Southwestern Greenland and
suffer from overhunting as well. The loosening of the new regulations will
also counteract the need for reduced hunting on these populations.
I deeply appeal to you and ask you to ensure that the hunting in Greenland
will be better regulated and controlled from now on. The hunting
particularly in the late winter and the spring time has has certainly been
the main reason for the dramatic decline among many valuable species in
Greenland and the surrounding countries.
Yours sincerely,
xxxxx"
IMPORTANT:Ê We advice you to put your key message in the SUBJECT line to
make sure that decision makers got the message even if they do not open the
letter. And it would be even more helpful if you write a few sentences and
explain your statement in your own words.
Background information about the situation in Greenland:
After a century of overhunting and extensive decreases in Greenlandic
colonies of Brünnich's Guillemot (Thick-billed Murre) and Common Eider, the
Greenland Home Rule issued a government notice last December banning hunting
of these species after 15 February in accordance with international
recommendations not to allow hunting after mid-winter. The notice was
prepared during several meetings involving hunters' organisations, BirdLife
Denmark's local group in Greenland etc. during which significant concessions
were made to hunters' interests. In spite of this, the professional hunters
in Southwest Greenland have now put the authorities under such heavy
pressure that authorities propose to allow one more month of hunting this
year. This will no doubt lead to similar pressure from other parts of
Greenland, where the new regulations will hit hunters even more, and
consequently undermine the whole attempt to reduce hunting pressure on these
highly overhunted populations.
To understand the seriousness of the problems, a few examples may
illustrate the situation. In central West Greenland, the colonies of
Brünnich's Guillemot have declined from around half a million birds to less
than 10,000. Colonies, that used to hold tens of thousands, and in some
cases even 100,000 birds are now empty or reduced to a few hundred.
Similarly, several colonies with thousands of nesting Common Eiders are
gone. This has been documented in many papers and reports i.e. from the
governmental nature research institute in Nuuk, Greenland. Several factors
may have contributed to the declines (drowning in fishing nets, oil etc.),
but all studies single out hunting in late winter, spring and summer as the
main reason. This is i.e. illustrated by the fact, that there is a close
correlation between the reductions of the individual colonies and their
distance to the nearest town or settlement.
Furthermore, hundreds of thousands of Brünnich's Guillemots, Common and
King Eider from Canada, Iceland and Svalbard winter in Southwest Greenland
and may suffer from overhunting as well. The loosening of the new
regulations will also counteract the need for reduced hunting on these
populations.
In a few days a brand new book will be published, which gives a shocking
picture of decades of mismanagement of Greenland's living resources.
Unfortunately, we can't wait for this book to appear, since the deadline for
objections to the extension of the hunting season is tomorrow, Wednesday the
30th!
Thank you very much.
Best regards
Knud Flensted
____________________________________________
Knud N. Flensted, biolog, M.Sc.
Dansk Ornitologisk Forening - BirdLife Danmark
Vesterbrogade 140, DK-1620 København V, Danmark
Tel (central): (+45) 3331 4404
Telefax: (+45) 3331 2435
E-mail:
=============
david camilleri
Please now go to < http://proaction.tripod.com/malta/ >
Why don't you join < http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Eurobirder > and
< http://proaction.tripod.com/team/
< http://www.MaltaTouristAction.org
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