PROACT GERMANY

CORMORANT SHOOTING IN SAXONY

THE GERMAN FEDERAL STATE OF SAXONY PLANS TO PERMIT WIDESPREAD SHOOTING OF CORMORANTS

In response to pressure from the sport fishing lobby, the Saxony Ministry for the Environment and Agriculture is currently working on a draft Saxony Cormorant Hunting Regulation. In principle the new regulation will approve the general shooting of cormorants throughout the state, and expressly in nature reserves - including FFH and bird protection areas! There are some formal restrictions; but these will have no effect in practice and can in any event not be enforced. With hunting approved in such areas until 1 April the ministry has rendered conservation measures for species such as Common Crane and White-tailed Eagle ineffectual and absurd. Conservation organisations in Saxony were given until 11 December to comment on the new regulations. The German conservation association NABU has submitted a paper, similar to the VSO appeal for the cormorant to be accepted as an integral part of the water system, rejecting the new regulations. The ministry is trying its best to avoid giving the matter a public airing (and indeed to keep it from its own conservation department officials, and is hoping to have the new regulations passed rapidly and without further ado by the Saxon state cabinet at the start of 2007.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Cut and paste the text below and send an URGENT email to the Saxony Environment Ministry and State Chancellery (copy to local news media)by clicking on the link below.

MAIL TO SAXON STATE GOVERNMENT AND NEWS MEDIA

To: info@sk.sachsen.de, info@smul.sachsen.de

cc: sachsenspiegel@mdr.de, k.tolksdorf@dnn.de

bcc: info@vso-internet.de, proact-campaigns@online.de

REVOKE PLANS TO PERSECUTE THE GREAT CORMORANT IN SAXONY / ZIEHEN SIE IHRE PLÄNE ZUR VERFOLGUNG DES KORMORANS IN SACHSEN ZURÜCK!

Sehr geehrte Herren Minister!

Dear Minister Tillich,

Dear Minister Winkler,

We are appalled to hear of your state government's intention to introduce legislation to permit the state-wide shooting of Great Cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo).

It is even more shocking to hear that this regulation will also permit hunting in nature reserves with Europe-wide significance (FFH and SPAs). The length of the season, to 1 April, will inevitably have a disastrous effect on the reproduction of birds such as the White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) and Common Crane (Grus grus), species which breed and populate the same habitats as the cormorant and which are afforded special protection by the European Union Habitats and Birds Directives (92/43/EEC and 79/409/EEC).

We call on you to adopt a conservation policy for your state more fitting to the 21st Century, and accept that the cormorant has a legitimate and natural place in the biodiversity of Saxony's waterways.

We look forward to hearing that the proposed regulations to permit the persecution and killing of the Great Cormorant in your state, for the benefit of a small minority of sport anglers, will be reconsidered and abandon. In this expectation we remain,

yours sincerely,

Mit Entsetzen haben wir/habe ich gehört, dass die sächsische Regierung beabsichtigt, ein Gesetz zum landesweiten Abschuss des Kormorans (Phalacrocorax carbo) vorzubereiten.

Noch schockierender ist die Tatsache, dass nicht einmal die durch EU-Recht geschützten Naturreservate (FFH und SPA) davon verschont bleiben sollen. Die Länge der Jagdsaison (bis zum 1. April!) wird unvermeidlich verheerende Auswirkungen auf den Bruterfolg von Vogelarten wie dem Seeadler (Haliaeetus albicilla) und dem Kranich (Grus grus) haben, da diese dasselbe Habitat bewohnen und dort auch brüten. Diese Gebiete stehen unter dem speziellen Schutz der Gesetze der Europäischen Union (92/43/EEC und 79/409/EEC).

Wir fordern Sie auf, eine Naturschutzpolitik zu machen, die Ihres Landes und des 21. Jahrhunderts würdig ist! Akzeptieren Sie, dass der Kormoran ein legitimes Recht auf Leben in der natürlichen Vielfalt der sächsischen Gewässer hat.

Wir erwarten von Ihnen, dass die vorgeschlagenen Maßnahmen zur Verfolgung und Tötung des Kormorans in Sachsen, die nur einer verschwindend kleinen Zahl von Sportanglern dienen, nochmals überdacht und danach fallengelassen werden.

In der Hoffnung auf eine für die Natur positive Entscheidung verbleibe ich /verbleiben wir

mit freundlichen Grüßen

(Name and address)