Poaching, illegal trapping, violation of environmental and social justice. According to a press release of ecological organizations, including the Bird Association and the Friends of the Land of Cyprus, these seem to be promoting specific MPs with a series of proposals for further relaxation of the bird law in order to satisfy a portion of hunters and trappers, who each other than protecting wild birds are their goal.
According to the environmental organizations, the specific proposals, which will be discussed in a closed session of the Parliamentary Committee on the Environment tomorrow, Wednesday 8 November, completely ignore European legislation and bring Cyprus one step closer to the imposition of sanctions by the European Commission.
"The specific proposals of the deputies are a result of recent pressures from a portion of hunters and trappers and aim at satisfying their demands," it is noted.
Specifically, among other things, the following are always proposed, according to ecological organizations:
- Reduction of the extrajudicial fine to € 200 for the offense of illegal possession of specific protected species, among them the vine, the bee-eater, the robin etc. who were hunted illegally by legal means e.g. hunting weapon, or by illegal means such as spearheads, thus promoting the illegal hunting of these protected migratory species.
- To make it an 'offense' to obstruct the exercise of the hunting activity, thus giving the hunters the opportunity to report other persons under the pretext that they are influencing their activity 'intentionally'.
- Possibility to give permission to train dogs for the months March to May, causing huge annoyance to the birds during their nesting period.
- Legalization of prey all year round (instead of for a limited period after the end of the hunting season), thus promoting and favoring poaching.
- Possibility of settlement of out-of-court payment in installments when it exceeds 1000 euros, thus reducing and weakening the deterrent character of out-of-court settlement after the implementation of the new legislation.
"These are the worst bills we have ever seen for a debate in Parliament regarding the Law on the Protection and Management of Wild Birds," said Tassos Sialis, Campaign Coordinator of the Cyprus Bird Association. "Instead of our MPs submitting bills to ensure the protection and management of birds, they are pushing for bills in closed sessions that favor poaching and illegal trapping and violate environmental justice. We hope the general public will wake up and express their opposition to these disastrous proposals, "he added.
"We are witnessing another theater of irrationality in terms of nature protection, with bills that do not limit hunting activity, and do not promote deterrent fines for illegal activities. When in another state the crossing in nature is "policed" by hunters who claim that the ordinary people who enjoy nature hinder the hunting activity and affect the prey. Nature is everyone's right ', said Natasa Ioannou, Program Manager, Friends of the Land of Cyprus.
Source: KYPE