BirdLife Cyprus on Wednesday called on MPs not to pass as law a bill proposing fining only €200 those found hunting protected bird species, warning this would also land Cyprus in trouble with the EU.
The group said the bill in question will be tabled to the House plenum to vote on Friday.
“It includes some of the worst proposals we have seen in recent years regarding illegal bird hunting,” it said.
It added that for the crime of capturing and killing 14 non-game, protected bird species with lime sticks and hunting guns, an out-of-court fine of €200 is being proposed.
“Such a low out-of-court settlement not only would not be a deterrent, but would send the message that poaching of these birds is far less reprehensible than, for example, poaching of game species such as the thrush, which is punishable by a much higher penalty, that of €2,000,” the conservationist group said.
The group urged MPs not to pass the bill and send out the right message on the protection and preservation of wild bird species.
The group also said that, in comparison, the proposed fines for other offences, such as for non-compliance of hunters with checks by the game and fauna service are at €300.
“If the plenary votes in favour of these proposals, then we believe that there will be an indirect decriminalisation of the illegal hunting of these protected and non-prey birds,” said Tassos Sialis, BirdLife Cyprus’ illegal bird killing campaigns manager.
He explained that if someone traps up to 50 birds among these 14 species, they would be fined €400 euros (€200 euros for the lime sticks and €200 euros for these specific bird species). If someone illegally kills with his gun up to 50 birds from these 14 species (for example 50 Bee-eaters), then the out-of-court settlement will only be only €200, he said.
At the same time, he said, if someone illegally traps thrush birds, which is a game species, the out-of-court settlement starts from €3,000. These proposals do not serve the purpose of these fines which is the imposition of deterrent and punitive penalties, Sialis said.
The group also said that if these amendments are passed into law, there is great possibility Cyprus will find itself in trouble for non-compliance with EU law on illegal bird trapping, “an issue that the European Commission has been monitoring for years.”
The 14 species are ambelopoulia (Sylvia atricapilla), bee-eaters, chaffinches, willow sparrows, sparrows, European robins, common whitethroats, spotted flycatchers, chiffchaffs, willow warblers, Eurasian reed warblers, sedge warblers, Cetti’s warblers, and golden orioles.
