The Government has declared a moratorium on spring hunting of turtle dove after “mature and responsible recommendations of the local hunting community, represented by the Federation for Hunting and Conservation – Malta (FKNK) and supported by Kaccaturi San Ubertu (KSU) last Saturday”.

In a statement, the government said that upon considering these proposals, as well as recommendations of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and European Commission, Government agreed to declare moratorium on the application of spring hunting derogation for Turtle Dove. Moratorium shall remain in force until such time that maintenance of the EU population of Turtle Dove at satisfactory level is scientifically ascertained.

At present, there is no scientific evidence pointing to any detectable impact of Malta’s extremely limited derogation on the population of this species. The numbers that were allowed to be hunted (maximum of 5,000 birds) under strict supervision by means of derogation were well below the Birds Directive’s threshold of 1% of annual mortality of the population and negligible on a European scale.

However, Malta shall voluntarily apply this moratorium as a precautionary measure to allow for an impartial and objective scientific assessment to be conducted at European level to establish the causes of the Turtle Dove’s population decline and to provide for measures necessary for the conservation of this species in Europe, the government said.

Furthermore, due to Malta’s long history of scientific research and monitoring of the Turtle Dove, the Maltese Government is willing to contribute to the technical and scientific process for updating the EU Management Plan for the Turtle Dove, which will provide information on the species’ status, ecology, and threats as well as the key actions needed to improve its population status in Europe.

IUCN lists the major threats for the decline of the Turtle Dove as being transformation of agricultural land, destruction of hedges, loss of semi-natural habitats, changes in agricultural practices, use of chemical herbicides, diseases, desertification and drought, as well as competition with other species.

It is therefore certain that the Turtle Dove decline cannot be solved without addressing these factors in a systematic, impartial, scientifically justified, proportionate and fair manner involving collaboration amongst all EU Member States and all stakeholders. 

Therefore the Government is willing to contribute and has much to offer towards the conservation of the Turtle Dove in Europe and calls upon the international conservation community to be involved in ongoing and future initiatives which aim to benefit the Turtle Dove.

 

'Half-baked' - Birdlife Malta

In a statement Birdlife Malta insisted that Spring hunting should be abolished once and for all, saying that scientific facts justified a permanent ban.

“With today’s decision for a moratorium on spring hunting of Turtle Doves as requested by the hunting lobby – something which he should have done a long time ago based on the uncontested scientific facts which show that the species is in danger of extinction – Government is still playing political games and is now rendering the Ornis Committee and the Wild Birds Regulation Unit (WBRU) into a farce, thus ridiculing their proper existence. If Government really wanted to show it is serious, it’s not a half-baked moratorium on Turtle Dove hunting it should have agreed to, but the permanent ban of spring hunting – on Turtle Dove and Quail – once and for all.

Whilst BirdLife Malta welcomes any decision to stop hunting in spring, it is seriously preoccupied with today’s decision which was only taken after the Federation for Hunting and Conservation (FKNK) pronounced itself. These are the reasons:

(i) this is a political decision and not a rational or scientific one because the hunters, together with Government, requested a moratorium on only one species in spring, the Turtle Dove, whilst excluding Quail;

(ii) government has opted to continue allowing spring hunting of Quail notwithstanding the fact that Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights Roderick Galdes is in possession of reports that clearly show that there is an alternative for Quail hunting in autumn;

(iii) when allowing Quail hunting in spring to continue, Government knows far too well li that is humanely impossible to exercise control, as it is also next to impossible to ensure that hunters do not at the same time hunt other species, including Turtle Doves as well;

(iv) Government’s decision ridicules the proper existence of Ornis Committee and renders it irrelevant as nowadays all decisions being taken – as today’s decision shows – are being taken on a purely political basis. Today’s decision also ridicules and renders into a farce the Wild Birds Regulation Unit (WBRU) which forms part of Roderick Galdes’ Parliamentary Secretariat. WBRU has done its utmost to try to convince Ornis that notwithstanding the vulnerability status of the Turtle Dove declared by IUCN, spring hunting on the species should continue. These two entities have now been rendered powerless.

 

It’s not a moratorium Government should have announced today, but a permanent ban on spring hunting of Turtle Dove and Quail once and for all.”