18 Apr 2016 FACE AND CIC: EU PLANS TO RESTRICT HUNTING TROPHY IMPORTS CONTRADICT WILDLIFE CONSERVATION

The Federation of Associations for Hunting and Conservation of the EU (FACE) and The International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC), have addressed the CITES Management Authorities in all European Member States. FACE and the CIC expressed their sincere concerns about the European Commission’s draft proposals for the forthcoming 17th Conference of the Parties to CITES in September in Johannesburg, South Africa.

They have criticized the proposed new regulations for the international movement of hunting trophies as disproportionate and in contradiction to the convention itself. These additional requirements are an imposition of heavy scientific, financial, and administrative burdens on exporting countries—most of them in the developing world—by the EU. These issues go far beyond the relatively minor problems believed to be caused by trophy hunting.

Trophies, which are traded only in small quantities, would become subject to conditions that are not even applied to high-volume trade of Appendix II species, many of which are only listed in Appendix II because they look like other species and not for conservation reasons concerning these look-alike species.

We call upon Member States of the EU to not support the proposals concerned in the interest of maintaining the many advantages for both wildlife and local communities in developing countries of sustainable hunting.