Early this month I posted about a decree by the French ecology and agriculture ministry addressing the concerns of farmers and resulted in relaxed hunting laws for wolfs and increasing the number that could be killed this coming season. The news is not getting any better, with the french government landing on the side of livestocks.
I urge all my fellow French wildlife photographers to share their work. The public needs to see the 'nicer' side of wolves and how they are integral to a healthy environment. Wolves are synonymous with trouble, a reputation we as humans created, rather than they deserved. The more public awareness regarding this matter, the stronger the case for protecting their right to live will be. #righttolive #ledroitdevivre
This is a translation from the LPO (Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux) website regarding this matter:
The French government betrayed its commitments to biodiversity!
The French livestock support plan released by the Government urgently to address the discontent of farmers contains a specific measure against the wolf, yet the species is protected internationally.
You can read in the press release (dated July 22) that France is committed to strengthening the protection of herds, which in itself is a good thing, but the government is asking the downgrading of the wolf, a species strictly protected, with the Berne Convention and the European Union.
This new announcement effect against the wolf is useless, demagogic and ineffective:
Gray wolf (Canis lupus) - Photo: Manon Batista. Source : LPO website
- Useless because it is already possible to kill wolves. This is what is done in France each year, with ever increasing quotas, including the heart of national parks.
- Demagogic because French breeding does not suffer from predation few hundred animals by wolves, but an intensive economic system out of breath. Again the wolf is still good! Certainly it is not to minimize the impact of natural predation, especially ranchers on edge, but to revisit the economic analysis of the sector. In addition, other causes of natural or due to stray dogs mortality, does not bear comparison.
- Ineffective because no company can now develop its economy by mortgaging its natural, nor does it can sit on social conditions.
These statements, which unfortunately have very little chance of success, contradict those of the French President who has announced plans to make France an exemplary country in terms of biodiversity. It comes at a time when the bill on biodiversity is under study, and France can and must take care of its fauna and flora, as well as its cultural heritage. Any other option is counter-productive: the search for intelligent cohabitation requires all the relevant stakeholders to decide together on the necessary conditions to achieve it.
The announcement of the French Government calls into question all the co-opperative building efforts undertaken many years (Grenelle Environment, Environmental Conference, CNTE ...).
A full press release by the LPO is available (in French).