Hunters accuse international conservationists of discrimination

Hunters’ organisation Kaccaturi San Ubertu (KSU) accused the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) of discriminating against Malta.

In an open letter to the EU Environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella, KSU pinpointed apparent inconsistencies with the IUCN’s approach to dealing with the threat to the turtle dove.

In 2015, the IUCN had called upon the European Commission to impose a moratorium on the spring hunting of turtle dove in Malta of 5,000 birds.

The KSU noted that the threats facing this species according to the 2015 classification are identical to those of the 2007-2009 Management Plan for Turtle Dove.

“Unlike Malta’s totally known and accountable insignificant quotas, where the restrictions called for in 2006 by Lutz were well catered for, the assumed 2 to 4 million birds hunted each autumn in other states since the 2007/2009 Plan are an unknown speculative figure which the IUCN now still needs to verify. However, Malta’s 5,000 birds are considered a “real threat of extinction” of the Turtle dove,” KSU said.

KSU expressed serious doubts on the IUCN’s integrity and its intention when putting pressure on the Commission to apply hunting thresholds on turtle dove.

“It is an undisputed fact that the 2007-2009 Plan for this species, considered as having an “unfavourable status” at the time, was not acted upon. All the calls for more robust data on all threats, identified at the time, are still being called for, yet the IUCN considers Malta’s 5,000 doves as a “real threat of extinction,”” it said, adding that it held reservations on certain factors that led to the reclassification of turtle dove as having “unfavourable status”, which were entrusted to the main objectors of spring hunting.

KSU called on the European Commission assure that the perceived decline of the species is an accurate representation of the true numbers and to explain what urgent measures it intends on adopting with regards to all known major threats recognised by the IUCN.

“KSU has every intention to see any species enjoy a healthy status in Europe and elsewhere and will endorse any serious measures that show a co-ordinated effort amongst European states and its institutions to attain such goal,” it said, reiterating it's claims of discrimination.

“The IUCN’s call for a suspension on a maximum figure of 5,000 birds in Malta served only to appease those that oppose spring hunting, points at discrimination towards Malta’s hunters, has a negligible effect upon a species and above all proves the inadequacy of those entrusted with sustainable use of the EU’s natural resources to offer proper solutions or serious holistic measures to address a possible problem.”