1. Illegal killing, trapping and trade of birds
14 October 2011
Still a matter of concern
Open file in the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention for > 15 years (11/2009)
Illegal trapping, killing, trade, egg-picking, poisoning, stuffing…
International dimension
Primarily a responsibility for MSs
Law enforcement issue
But action at international level relevant
Migratory species, international trade…
Co-operation with the Bern Convention
Dialogue with FACE and BirdLife International
International conference organized by the Secretariat of the Bern Convention in Cyprus (07/2011)

2. Illegal killing, trapping and trade of birds
14 October 2011
Illegal killing, trapping and trade of birds
International Conference (Cyprus, 06-08/2011)
Attended by Contracting parties, Nature conservation and hunting organizations, experts, enforcement agencies…
Objective: Identifying the extent of the problem and priorities, providing an overview of the enforcement mechanisms, examining options to improve compliance, sharing best practices…
“Positive focus” aimed at solving problems
Presentations from CY, ES, FR, IT, MT, SK,UK…
Constructive atmosphere

3. Illegal killing, trapping and trade of birds
14 October 2011
Illegal killing, trapping and trade of birds
Main conclusions of the conference:
Encouraging experiences but still a lot of important concerns (e.g. poisoning, illegal trapping and trade)
Often more related to organized crime than to an old tradition
Multi-dimensional problem with ecological, legal, economic, social… aspects
Adverse impact on conservation, legal hunting, tourism…
No one-fits-all solution
Zero tolerance stance shared by everybody
Collaboration with NGOs can help
Need for “soft” measures:
awareness-raising, training, information sharing, political support, dialogue with stakeholders…
monitoring and reporting systems for illegal activities, prioritize action in hotspots…
Need for “hard” measures: strengthen law enforcement at each stage of the “crime chain”
Strong deterrent sanctions needed => Awareness-raising of judges and prosecutors needed

4. Illegal killing, trapping and trade of birds
14 October 2011
Illegal killing, trapping and trade of birds
Larnaca declaration:
Measures to tackle illegal killing urgently required
Need for law enforcement, education and political support
Call on involved parties to pledge for a zero tolerance and to act proactively
Draft recommendation to be submitted to the 31st meeting of the Standing committee:
General:
Develop communication strategies promoting dialogue between all concerned parties
Legal aspects
Apply a zero tolerance approach
Strengthen enforcement at each stage of the “bird crime chain”, including “end-users”
Co-ordinate efforts between concerned parties to streamline enforcement at all levels
Biological aspects
Improve the knowledge base
Establish a systematic monitoring and reporting system of illegal activities
Prioritise action in hotspots and break down the link between the demand for birds and the supply
Ensure the effective management of protected areas
Social/cultural/educational aspects
Strengthen the capacity of the enforcement and judicial authorities

5. Illegal killing, trapping and trade of birds
14 October 2011
Illegal killing, trapping and trade of birds
Which action at EU-level (in addition to MSs’ action)?
Better characterize the issue and get MSs’ views => on-going contract
Collect and share best practices => on-going contract
EU-TWIX tool (EU Trade in Wildlife Information eXchange) = internet-based tool to facilitate information exchange and co-operation between law enforcement officials. Are MSs interested?
LIFE+ projects (already good examples)
Awareness-raising, capacity building and sharing best practices:
Topic proposed to the EU Forum of Judges for the Environment for their annual conference
Training session for judges co-organized by EC with EIPA on Criminal Law in environmental issues (2012). “Illegal killing” = one of the items to be addressed.
Topic to be possibly proposed to the EU network of prosecutors for a future seminar