Court stops the hunting of 36 species of wild birds in Romania

The Brasov Court of Appeal ruled on August 20 that the hunting quotas for 36 species of wild birds in Romania will be suspended in the 2020-2021 season, the Romanian Ornithological Society (SOR) announced.

This means that the hunting of bird species such as the common wood pigeon, the stock dove, the European turtle dove, the common quail, the Eurasian skylark, the mallard, the Eurasian teal, the tufted duck, the common moorhen, the Eurasian woodcock, the Eurasian magpie, or the Eurasian jay is banned during the 2020-2021 season.

The decision, which was ruled following a court action opened by the Alliance for Combating Abuses Association, is not final but is enforceable by law starting August 20.

The Alliance for Combating Abuses Association has challenged several articles of the environment minister’s order no. 1400/13.07.2020 approving harvest quotas for some species of fauna of hunting interest for which hunting is allowed in the period 2020-2021, as well as the annexes of the order, which contain the hunting quotas approved for the 40 species of wild birds that can be shot according to the legislation in force.

“The Court’s decision is most likely related to the fact that there is still no clear methodology for establishing these hunting quotas. The Romanian Ornithological Society (SOR) drew attention through countless addresses to the Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests that the procedure by which the hunting quotas are established is not legal. According to the law, the Romanian state must calculate the hunting quotas based on clear methodologies for determining the number of individuals that can be shot without affecting the population of that species,” said SOR biologist Dorin Damoc.

The action opened in the Brasov Court is not the first of its kind initiated by the Alliance for Combating Abuses Association. In 2019, the NGO obtained in court the ban on hunting the skylarks and three other species of birds in Romania in the 2019-2020 season.

(Photo source: Ihelgi/Dreamstime.com)