FACE (The Federation of Associations for Hunting & Conservation in the EU) has embarked on a European project, Promoting NATURA 2000 & sustainable wildlife use (hunting & angling). The project included the organisation of four regional workshops / training sessions in Central, Eastern and Southern Europe. One of them – namely the Mediterranean Workshop – took place in Arosio, Italy (near Milan) on the 18th – 19th of June 2008. This workshop covered Portugal, France, Italy and Malta.

The workshop aimed to raise awareness on the role hunters and other wildlife users (e.g. anglers) can and should play in the identification, designation and, above all, the management of NATURA 2000 sites. Additionally it wants to increase understanding among a wide range of stakeholders (conservationists, local authorities, etc.) for sustainable hunting inside these NATURA 2000 sites, contributing in fact to the preservation and management of habitats and species. For this, speakers from different sectors and stakeholder groups, including hunters, interactively addressed and “trained” the mainly hunter dominated participants of the workshop (but also including anglers). The participants have now become the “focal points” for this project and will act at local, regional and national level to raise awareness on sustainable hunting inside NATURA 2000 sites amongst a wide range of stakeholders and the public.

The “focal points” from the Baltic, Black Sea / East Mediterranean, Central European and Mediterranean Regions – which were all covered by the four workshops – now form a network of National correspondents and have been offered supporting communication material, including an on-line forum for sharing experiences and answering questions.

Given the importance of clarifying that sustainable hunting (and angling) is fully compatible with the aims of NATURA 2000, the Federation for Hunting & Conservation – Malta (FKNK), said that just as it had done in 2006 when it fully supported and participated in another FACE European project regarding NATURA 2000, it also participated at the workshop in Italy.

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