PARANYS - AN ILLEGAL, NON-SELECTIVE AND MASS TRAPPING METHOD IN SPAIN
| A typical - distinctive - parany trapping site |
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| (click on picture for newest info and 'Paranay Map') |
The trapping method known
in the Spanish regions of Valencia and southern Catalonia as Parany has been illegal since 2002. Monitoring studies by local
conservationists have shown however that this practice has continued almost unabated until the present day. This is because
the practice is tolerated (some would say encouraged) by many local authorities and political parties in Valencia. In this
region alone it is estimated that over 1 ½ million migrant song birds fall victim to Parany every year - in the course of
a single month!
The Parany trapping technique
involves the planting and cultivation of high stands of trees (mostly enclosed on private property), interlaced with poles
to which sticks impregnated with glue or lime are attached. The migrant song birds are attracted to the tree groups as ideal
night roosts. To ensure a high catch illegal electronic lures are also employed. The plumage of the birds settling on the
sticks becomes glued together and the birds fall helpless to the ground. There they are collected by the trapper who kills
them - often by crushing the bird’s skull between thumb and fingers.
The main targets of the trappers
are thrushes, four species of which may be legally hunted in season - although not by employing such a non-selective method
and on a massive scale - which is in clear contravention of the EU Bird Protection Guidelines. The by-catch is high, amounting
to an estimated 23 % and more of birds caught, including specifically protected species such as migrant Blackcaps and Robins
en route to wintering areas in the Iberian Peninsula and north-west Africa.
To make the matter worse, many
local municipalities not only tolerate this forbidden practice, they also encourage and lend their active support to the trappers.
The ruling party in the Valencian Parliament (PP) has now proposed a change to the Valencian Hunting Law to permit Parany
trapping, to be voted on and approved as soon as possible, probably in September. The trapping season for the target migrant
birds is in October. This is an orchestrated campaign, mainly led by the PP political party (and other local political groups),
but also supported by the Spanish governing party PSOE in Valencia. The passage of such legislation is unacceptable not only
for the Spanish regions affected, but also for the precedent it would set for pressure to reintroduce similar non-selective
‘traditional’ and ‘socio-cultural’ practices in other member states of the EU.
A report is to be sent to the
EU by Spanish conservationists in order to prevent the legalisation of the rampant Parany trapping in Spain. In the run-up
to the official Spanish campaign you are urged to lend your support by sending an Email or letter to the Spanish authorities
concerned (copy to the European Commission) urging them to withdraw their support for Parany trapping. A draft text with embedded
email links is provided below (Full email and postal addresses at the bottom of the page). Please
do this first. The text is in English and Spanish. You can select the version you want to send.
In addition you are invited to write to your
MEMBER OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
informing him or her of the situation
and asking for their support. In addition an online petition addressed to the European Commission can be signed at STOP PARANY PETITION. The petition and signatures will be forwarded to the Commission in parallel to the Spanish official
report.
[CLICK ON THE LINK TO OPEN
YOUR EMAIL PROGRAMME AND CUT AND PASTE THE TEXT BELOW. DON'T FORGET TO ADD YOUR OWN NAME AND ADDRESS. THE FULL EMAIL AND POSTAL
ADDRESSES ARE ALSO AT THE END OF THIS PAGE!]
EMAIL TO SPANISH AUTHORITIES
To:
Presidente del Reino de España,
Señor José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Medio Rural y Marino,
Ministra Elena Espinosa Mangana
Secretario General del
PP
Señor Ricardo Costa
Presidente
del PP y
de la Generalitat Valenciana
Señor Francisco Camps
PSPV-PSOE
Señor Jorge Alarte
Secretario General del Bloc
Señor Enric Xavier Morera Catalá
Presidenta de las Corts Valencianes
Señora María Milagrosa Martínez Navarro
cc.
European Commission
Commissioner Stavros Dimas
Estimado señor
Presidente,
Es desalentador
escuchar
que el uso del método de caza conocido como Parany, ilegal desde 2002, es aún
extendido en la Comunidad Valenciana y que el gobierno regional planea enmendar
la ley de caza para otorgar cobertura legal a esta práctica.
Esto es inaceptable
en la
primera mitad del siglo XXI. No es tan sólo una práctica cruel para
las aves capturadas, sino también masiva y no selectiva, que no afecta
únicamente a las poblaciones de especies cinegéticas, sino también a un gran
número de paseriformes protegidos.
El Parany
es un método de
caza que contraviene la Directiva Aves de la Unión Europea. Conservacionistas y
otros ciudadanos de la Unión Europea rechazarán cualquier tipo de maniobra
legal dirigida a permitir este tipo de caza masiva y no selectiva.
Caso de ser
aprobada la
enmienda de la Ley Valenciana de Caza para permitir el uso del Parany, un
método masivo y no selectivo de caza, ésta contravendría el Anexo VII de la Ley
Española de Biodiversidad (42/2007 de Patrimonio Natural y de la Biodiversidad),
la cual incorpora las disposiciones definidas por la Directiva Aves de la Unión
Europea. Si la Ley Valenciana de Caza fuera modificada, ésta debería
ser inmediatamente dictaminada como ilegal por el Tribunal Constitucional por
contravención con la Ley Nacional Española. En caso contrario, la Unión Europea
debe actuar para imponer una severa multa económica al Gobierno Español.
Usted está
instado a
respetar las legislaciones tanto Española como de la Unión Europea y aceptar su
responsabilidad para hacer cumplir las leyes existentes con toda la autoridad
de su ejercicio. El correcto desempeño y la efectividad de sus acciones serán
examinados no sólo en España, sino también en Europa y en otros países
alrededor del mundo.
Sinceramente,
(Name
and address)
To:
Presidente del Reino de España,
Señor José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Medio
Rural y Marino,
Ministra Elena Espinosa Mangana
Secretario General del PP
Señor Ricardo Costa
Presidente del PP y de la Generalitat
Valenciana
Señor Francisco Camps
PSPV-PSOE
Señor Jorge Alarte
Secretario
General del Bloc
Señor Enric Xavier Morera Catalá
Presidenta de las Corts Valencianes
Señora María Milagrosa
Martínez Navarro
cc.
European Commission
Commissioner Stavros Dimas
Dear Madam,
Dear Sir,
It is disturbing to hear that the Parany
trapping method, illegal since 2002, is still flourishing in the Valencian region and that the regional government plans to
amend the hunting law to permit the practice to be conducted legally.
This is unacceptable in the first half
of the 21st Century. Not only is the practice cruel to the birds involved, it is also conducted on a massive and
non-selective scale that not only negatively affects the populations of the legally huntable species, but also a large number
of other protected song birds.
The Parany trapping method is in contravention
of the European Union Bird Protection Guidelines. Conservationists and other European Union citizens will resist any attempts
to permit this mass and non-selective bird trapping method.
Amendment of the Valencian Hunting Law
to permit Parany trapping, a mass and non-selective trapping method, would contravene Annex VII of the Spanish Biodiversity
Law (42/2007 de Patrimonio Natural y de la Biodiversidad), which concurs with the provisions of the European Union Birds Directive. Should the Valencian Hunting Law be improperly amended, it should therefore be immediately
ruled as illegal by the Tribunal Constitucional due to contravention of Spanish national law. If this is not done the European
Union is required to impose a severe financial fine on the Spanish Government.
You are therefore urged to respect Spanish
and European Union legislation and accept your responsibility to enforce existing laws with all the authority of your office.
The correct execution and the effectiveness of your actions will be judged not only in Spain; but also throughout Europe and
in many other countries world wide.
Sincerely,
(Name and address)
POSTAL AND EMAIL ADDRESSES
Presidente del Reino de España
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
Complejo de la Moncloa, Avda. Puerta de Hierro, s/n. 28071 Madrid Email: jlrzapatero@presidencia.gob.es
Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Medio Rural y Marino:
Elena Espinosa Mangana (Ministra), Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Medio Rural y
Marino
Plaza de San Juan de la Cruz, s/n 28071- Madrid
Emails: informacionmma@mma.es, ministra@mma.es
Partido en la presidencia de les Corts Valencianes (PP):
C/ Quart 102, 46008 Valencia
Ricardo Costa, Secretario General del PP. E-mail: rcosta@corts.es
Francisco Camps, Presidente del PP y de la Generalitat Valenciana. E-mail: fcamps@corts.es,
partidopopular@pp.es, valencia@pp.es
Principal partido de la oposicón (in favour of Parany) (PSPV-PSOE)
*PSPV-PSOE*
c/Blanqueries, 4 - 46003
Jorge Alarte. Email: jorge.alarte@pspv-psoe.net, pspv@pspv-psoe.net
Secretario General del Bloc
Enric Xavier Morera Catalá Seu Nacional,
carrer de Sant Jacint 28 entresol · 46008 València
Email: emorera@corts.es,
bloc@bloc.ws
Presidenta de las Corts Valencianes (Partido Popular):
María Milagrosa Martínez Navarro Corts Valencianes. Plaça Sant Llorenç, 4 -
46003 València Email:
mmartinez@corts.es
CC: Stavros Dimas,
EC Commissioner for the
Environment Email: Stavros.Dimas@ec.europa.eu
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