FACE (European Federation of Associations for Hunting and Conservation), the European federation that groups hunting associations, has announced the holding of a conference organized at European Parliament of Brussels for next January 27th. The theme of the debate is the following: we will talk about the role of hunters and the rural world in relation to the financing of biodiversity conservation. The meeting will be chaired by Karl-Heinz Florenz, member of the European Parliament and president of the Parliamentary Intergroup dealing with biodiversity, hunting and rural activities (one of the bodies that is supported by FACE itself).
What will be investigated specifically? The aim of the conference is to involve different subject matter experts to deepen the various perspectives and points of view on the subject. In addition, the focus will also be on the financing of biodiversity, specifically on the goals that must be achieved in view of the European strategy of 2020. The conference was organized after having ascertained the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of the ecosystem within the EU territory, a fact that was confirmed by the report on the European environment in 2015.
The main risk that is underlined by FACE is that of no longer being able to meet the main human needs. Among the personalities who will intervene in nine days are included Norbert Lins, also a member of the European Parliament and responsible for the report on the mid-term review of biodiversity (Strategy 2020), Christopher Price, director of the Country Land and Business Administration, David Scallan, responsible for activities related to fauna on behalf of FACE, e Justin Irvine, which is part of the James Hutton Institute in Aberdeen (Scotland). The discussion will be open to the examination of the various research projects, among which we must not forget HUNT (Hunt for Sustainability, the hunt for sustainability), and the FACE Biodiversity Manifesto.
In 2001 the European Commission launched the Sustainable Hunting Initiative to develop a scientific conservation program in line with European laws. In 2004, then, the partners of the initiative, BirdLife International and FACE caught up an agreement based on ten points. Among the most important aspects, the constructive dialogue to be established to reach local, regional or national agreements on hunting practices involving birds, but also the conservation of non-indigenous species or the subspecies of birds. There is no shortage of specific conditions to be respected when establishing hunting seasons, first of all that concerning respect for the most vulnerable time period for birds, especially in the case of sedentary species.