At its annual meeting this past autumn, the Standing Committee of the Convention for the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern, 1979) adopted Recommendation No. 128 on the European Charter on Hunting and Biodiversity. This nonbinding document encourages Parties and Observers to apply its principles in the elaboration and implementation of their policies. Further, it provides guidelines for competent national authorities and relevant stakeholders relative to hunting and its use as a tool in management of biodiversity. The Standing Committee stressed the need to ensure that hunting and hunting tourism in Europe are practised in a sustainable manner, by avoiding negative impacts on biodiversity while making a positive contribution to the conservation of species and habitats.

 

Work on the Charter was initiated through a Recommendation from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in 2004, which advocated that a European charter on hunting and biodiversity be created, which would act as a guide for establishing common principles and good practices for hunting and hunting tourism in Europe. The Bureau of the Bern Convention welcomed this Recommendation and the idea of elaborating, in cooperation with concerned stakeholders, a European Charter that would address all relevant aspects of hunting and wildlife conservation.

 

The Charter is the product of a Working Group that was established in November 2005 with experts from Bern Convention Parties, as well as representatives from non-governmental organisations with an interest in hunting and conservation of biodiversity. The Working Group was to address hunting as a consumptive and recreational form of utilisation and management of species of birds and terrestrial mammals in Europe, in accordance with the provisions of the Bern Convention. The Charter thus represents a collective effort of governments, hunters and environmental organisations to discuss and facilitate sustainable hunting in a biodiversity conservation context. In this regard, my job has been to draft this document with input from all Parties and Observers, and achieve consensus on its content.

 

This work could not have been achieved without active participation by Working Group Members. This was not an easy task, but we were able to overcome challenges and create a document that I believe gives “added value” in many ways. Carolina Lasén-Diaz and her support staff at the Council of Europe provided technical and financial assistance during the drafting process for which I am very appreciative. I am particularly grateful to Chairman Øystein Størkersen of the Norwegian Directorate for Nature Conservation, for his able guidance and for providing additional financial support for this endeavour. Although all members of the Working Group worked hard and gave much input to the document, I wish to particularly thank Dr. Robert Kenward of the World Conservation Union/ Species Survival Commission – European Sustainable Use Specialist Group (IUCN/SSCESUSG), Dr. Yves Lecocq of the Federation of Associations for Hunting and Conservation of the European Union (FACE), and Kai Wollscheid of the CIC for their supportive efforts in the drafting of this document. Without their help and insight, this process would have been much more difficult!

 

The Charter has three main goals: 1) It presents a set of principles and guidelines to ensure the sustainability of wild resource utilisation in Europe, especially through hunting; 2) It recommends guidelines for sustainable hunting tourism in Europe to implement those principles; 3) It also recommends best practices for European hunters with regard to conduct, proficiency, safety and ethics.

 

With these primary goals in mind, the Charter seeks to provide guidelines for sustainable hunting practices within the context of the conservation of biodiversity. It encourages hunter involvement in monitoring, research and biodiversity restoration, and promotes cooperation between stakeholders in biodiversity management (landowners, conservationists, government agencies, hunter’s organisations). It also seeks to ensure the sustainability of hunting tourism and promotes forms of hunting tourism that provide local communities with economic incentives to conserve wildlife and biodiversity. The Charter also recommends a code of conduct for tour operators and European hunters that engage their services. Furthermore, the Charter encourages hunter education and information measures that promote safe and sound hunting practices as well as measures which increase proficiency in the use of firearms and traps. It emphasises the need for hunters to be knowledgeable about wildlife (including non-game) species and their requirements, as well as the basic principles regarding biodiversity conservation.

 

So what is the “added value” of the Charter? First of all, it cements hunting as a legitimate and important tool in the management of biological diversity under the auspices of the Bern Convention. Aspects include sustainable hunting, hunting tourism, and standards for European hunters within the context of the three pillars of sustainability (Ecological, Economic, and Socio-cultural). It integrates relevant EU and international policy regarding hunting, biodiversity and eco-tourism. It also applies central principles of the Convention on Biological Diversity as specified in the Addis Ababa Principles and Guidelines for the Sustainable Use of Biodiversity and the Malawi Principles for the Ecosystem Approach. We have attempted to do this equitably, with 12 principles and 47 guidelines aimed at biodiversity regulators and managers, as well as 59 guidelines for hunters and hunting tour operators. The Charter address both governments and stakeholders equitably with regard to common principles and good practices for the consumptive, sustainable use of wildlife in Europe in ways that promote conservation of biodiversity.

 

It is my sincere hope that this Charter will be actively used by the governments of signatory Parties to promote and ensure the role of sustainable hunting in the management of European biodiversity, and that this model will have application beyond its borders. The CIC and other NGO’s have a central role to play in facilitating this process at all levels. By actively supporting and applying Charter principles and guidelines for sustainable hunting and hunting tourism, “added value” can be achieved for local communities, wildlife resources and their habitats and ultimately, the hunting community.

 

 

 

Dr. Scott Brainerd

Norwegian Association of Hunters and Anglers,

Norwegian Institute for Nature Research