Conservation group BirdLife Cyprus reported Wednesday a “worrying enhance” in unlawful chook trappings final yr, blaming authorities for decreasing fines for killing protected species.
“This sadly comes as no shock, following a shameful leisure of the Cyprus bird-protection legislation in December 2020,” the group stated in an announcement.
It has systematically monitored chook trapping ranges for the previous 20 years within the Republic of Cyprus and a British navy base space on the Mediterranean island.
Its autumn 2021 report confirmed an enormous enhance in trapping ranges with so-called “mist nets” throughout the survey areas in comparison with 2020.
Autumn is when trappers goal migratory birds, particularly Blackcaps and different migrant songbirds.
Late final yr, exercise utilizing mist nets — that are barely seen and designed to entangle the birds — was 132 % larger than for autumn 2020.
At Dhekelia, a British base space, mist netting exercise confirmed a rise of 46 % from 2020.
Final yr’s enhance is just like the previous 4 years however considerably decrease than the height 2016 trapping season when 2.3 million songbirds had been killed.
– ‘Troubling development’ –
“These recorded trapping ranges quantity to simply over 600,000 birds which may have been illegally trapped and killed within the autumn of 2021 throughout the survey areas,” stated BirdLife Cyprus.
“This troubling rising development in trapping exercise comes after a collection of retrograde steps on a coverage degree that despatched a normal message of decriminalising chook trapping.”
It stated fines that had been lowered from 2,000 euros (about $2,200) to 200 euros “are non-deterrent and non-punitive, and clearly not proportionate to the revenue one would make by illegally promoting these birds”.
The illicit commerce in migratory birds is estimated at 15 million euros per yr, though it has been unlawful for many years. Critics blame lax enforcement.
In a letter to the Cyprus authorities final October, the European Fee expressed concern and urged Nicosia to annul this legislation modification and restore the fines beginning at 2,000 euros.
“The state’s goal must be the safety and conservation of our pure heritage, ranging from re-instating a strict and deterrent legislation,” stated the group.
“Cyprus could be very more likely to be taken to the EU Courtroom of Justice for the inadequate safety of migratory birds, as highlighted within the Fee’s letter.”
