In a closing press conference held in Floriana today, the EU LIFE+ Project on Bird Migration and Trapping presented its conclusions and launched a final project report on trapping.
Since its inception in January 2009 the project has carried out various information dissemination activities, including Malta’s most ambitious environmental outreach programme to date meeting 411 trappers in individual face-to-face meetings. The aim of these meetings was to create dialogue between trappers and conservationists.
“We understand from our meetings that many trappers have accepted the end of trapping and have moved on, not renewing their license.” said Project Manager Geoffrey Saliba. “Several former trappers have also expressed interest in alternative activities, mainly bird breeding and participating in bird shows, which are both legal and respect the environment when carried out using captive bred birds.”
Birdlife said that “Police figures show that only 2,896 of the original 4,616 trappers licensed in 2008 renewed their license in 2010. By September 2011 this had further decreased to 2,643 representing a 42% drop in the number of licensed trappers.”
The project also carried out ground and air based surveys of trapping sites in Malta and Gozo throughout 2009 and 2010, surveying a total of 4,787 trapping sites. Birdlife said that “of the trapping sites surveyed in 2010, 25% were active or maintained, and over 95% of the active trapping sites were illegally targeting finches.”
The project compiled a report presenting details of all the surveyed sites, including GPS locations. This report has been passed on to the police to assist with enforcement action where applicable. A similar report will shortly be passed onto MEPA.
Birdlife said that although the government has respected Malta’s EU Accession Treaty Agreement by not opening finch trapping after 2008, when the phasing out period agreed upon with the EU expired, Malta has permitted the autumn trapping of a further four species of bird.
Commenting on the government’s decision not to open a trapping season for Turtle Dove, Quail, Golden Plover and Song Thrush this year, BirdLife Malta Executive Director Paul Debono quoted communication from Joseph Hennon, spokesperson for EU Commissioner for the Environment Janez Potocnik. In the communication Mr Hennon clarifies “The trapping of birds using nets is prohibited under the Birds Directive. An infringement case against Malta concerning autumn bird trapping was opened in June 2011.”
Mr Hennon pointed out that several criteria need to be met for any derogation on the Birds Directive to be considered justified, and that the Commission does not feel that Malta’s derogation permitting the trapping of these four species meets these criteria.
The government has asked the Ornis Committee to prepare a detailed assessment showing how the criteria could be met before a trapping derogation can be recommended.
The project’s final report titled ‘A step forward – Conservation on a migratory stop-over’, details the conservation and legal implications of trapping, a brief history of trapping, and the project conclusions. It is available for download from www.birdlifemalta.org [1].
The project was developed by BirdLife Malta with partners Media Today and the RSPB (BirdLife UK) in consultation with MEPA, aiming to facilitate the implementation of the Birds Directive with respect to trapping. The project was 50% funded under the EU LIFE financial instrument of the European Commission.
Photos – Agricultural land, taken in spring 2010 shows a large trapping site with multiple nets set up in agricultural land. As much land is used by this trapping site as a large agricultural field. Photo by BirdLife Malta.
Dingli Multiple sites This photo shows a group of densely packed trapping sites in Dingli, taken during the EU LIFE+ Project on Bird Migration and Trapping 2010 surveys. Photo by BirdLife Malta.