The European Federation for Hunting and Conservation (FACE) and the International Council for the Conservation of Game and Wildlife (CIC) are delighted that UNESCO has decided to include six new countries - Croatia, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Kyrgyzstan - in the inscription "Falconry, a living human heritage" related to Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (ICH). These important additions contribute to a fundamental global recognition for 24 countries, highlighting the need to promote and encourage the cultural importance of falconry.
Registration was officially approved on December 14, 2021 in Paris at the meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee for the UNESCO Convention on the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage. International recognition of falconry in these countries will help raise awareness of the element of national cultural heritage. To get such an international list, all 180 UNESCO ICH countries must vote in support as the convention works by consensus.
Referring to the good news, Gary Timbrell, CEO of the International Association for Falconry and Conservation of Birds of Prey (IAF) he has declared: "There is an old proverb that says that a society becomes great when old people plant trees in whose shade they will never have to sit. Falconry is a family; it is moving that so many countries feel part of this family". Earlier this year, FACE members adopted a new stance on falconry in Europe which is aimed at:
- to promote the continued growth of falconry in Europe as hunting art, which safeguards the cultural heritage, bringing important conservation and socio-economic benefits.
- invite national or regional authorities to maintain or introduce (where falconry is not yet present) legal frameworks to allow and promote falconry.
- support the traditional sustainable and judicious use of wild birds of prey for falconry as described in Birds Directive.
- encourage cooperation and solidarity between national hunting organizations and their falconry organizations to ensure the feasibility of falconry as sustainable hunting and part of a common hunting heritage.