Language: English
The book, produced by OMPO, the European Institute for the Management of Wild Birds and their Habitats, in collaboration with FACE (European Federation for Hunting and Conservation) and with the support of AFEMS (Association of European Manufacturers of Sporting Ammunition), the Francois Sommer Foundation for Hunting and Nature and FNC (French Hunters Federation), documents the conservation status and management of the game birds in Europe listed in the Annex IIA of the Birds Directive.
These birds are a renewable natural resource, the hunting of which is increasingly controlled. Hunters do more than just harvest; they maintain territories and play a key role in maintaining habitats and ecosystems and preserving protected species, many of which are threatened by the resilient development of human activities. By studying the impact of its actions, the hunting community supports the concept of adaptive management, a pioneering idea well-proven in North America and still in its early stages in Europe, for the wise and sustainable use of the species (migratory or not) on an international scale.
By subordinating harvesting to the demographic availability of bird populations scientifically monitored in ecosystems, this management method introduces the flexibility lacking in the application of the Birds Directive for greater efficiency. Adaptive management appears to be the best way to maintain the good conservation status of game bird populations, to ensure that they can be used in a sustainable and equitable manner, taking into account local situations and cultures, and to ensure consensual hunting practices.