REPORT 1997-1998 (Article 9(2)) - CONVENTION ON THE CONSERVATION OF EUROPEAN WILDLIFE AND NATURAL HABITATS - Standing Committee

(presented by the Commission)

Report presented by the delegation of the European Community

THIS REPORT RELATES TO THE YEARS: 1997-1998 and 1995-1996 (additional information)

CONTRACTING PARTY: European Community

General comments on the Convention and its implementation

Directive 79/409/EEC on the conservation of wild birds and Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora, constitute the framework within which the provisions of the Bern Convention are applied.

Derogations

The information on the authorities empowered to authorise derogations from Article 6 (Species in Appendices I and II to the Convention) and the derogations regarding the methods of capture and killing listed in Appendix IV is set out below, in keeping with the specifications of document T - PVS(99)25 of the Standing Committee of the Convention.

This document does not mention certain practices which are currently the subject of a dispute between the Commission and certain Member States, including infringements of Directives 79/409/EEC and 92/43/EEC, nor those undertaken for research purposes (in particular ringing birds and marking bats) or for the conservation of species, save when the latter type of derogation leads to the definitive removal of a significant number of individuals (ten or more) from their natural habitat.

It is based on information supplied by the Member States. The reports on derogations concerning birds (Directive 79/409/EEC) for the year 1997 have been received from 14 out of 15 Member States; reports for the year 1998 have been received from 12 Member States. [1] With regard to derogations concerning other species (Directive 92/43/EEC), this report supplements the 1995-1996 biennial report in the case of 8 additional Member States whose reports were received in the interim. [2] Reports for the period 1997-1998 have been received from 12 Member States. [3]

[1] Ireland did not supply a report for either 1997 or 1998; no report for 1998 was received from Greece or Denmark; and Belgium's report for 1998 was incomplete (covering only the Flemish region).

[2] Denmark, Germany, Spain, Greece, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Portugal.

[3] No reports have been received from Ireland, the Netherlands or Sweden; the reports provided by Belgium and Austria were incomplete.

Information on the nature of the risk and details of when and where derogations were granted, as well as on the controls carried out, can be found in the reports of the Member States transmitted under Article 9 of Directive 79/409/EEC or Article 16 of Directive 92/43/EEC.

For information concerning imports and exports, see "Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, EEC Annual Report 1997 to CITES" and "Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, EEC Annual Report 1998 to CITES".

AUTHORITIES EMPOWERED TO AUTHORISE DEROGATIONS

The following authorities are empowered to decide whether the conditions referred to in Article 9 of Directive 79/409/EEC and Article 16 of Directive 92/43/EEC have been met and what means, arrangements or methods may be used, within what limits and by what persons:

Belgique - Belgïe (B)

Ministère de l'Agriculture, Administration de la Recherche Agronomique

-Vlaams Gewest : Ministerie van de Vlaamse Gemeenschap. Aminal, Administratie Milieu-, Natuur-, Land- en Waterbeheer, Graaf de Ferraris-gebouw (E. Jacqmainlaan 156 bus 2, B-1000 Brussel).

-Région Wallonne : Ministère de la Région Wallonne. Direction générale des Ressources Naturelles et de l'Environnement (Avenue Albert 1er, 187, B-5000 Namur).

-Région Bruxelloise : Institut Bruxellois de la Gestion de l'Environnement. (Rue de Trèves 49, B - 1040 Bruxelles).

Danmark (DK)

Skov- og Naturstyrelsen, (Miljø og Energi Ministeriet, Vildtforvaltningskontoret). Haraldsgade 53, DK - 2100 København Ø.

Deutschland (D)

Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz und Reaktorsicherheit. Godesberger Allee 90, D - 53175 Bonn 1. The regional authorities empowered are those of the "Länder".

Hellas (EL)

From 11 March to 19 August: Regional authorities of the Forestry Services (Decision No 164168/1572/23-4-85). From 20 August to 10 March: Ministry of Agriculture - Secretariat-General for Forests, Forestry Service, Wildlife Management Section, Hippokratous 3-5, GR - 10 164 Athens.

España (E)

Ministerio de Medio Ambiente, Dirección General de Conservación de la Naturaleza, Subdireción General de Conservación de la Biodiversidad, Gran Via de San Francisco 4.4a, E-28005 Madrid

-Andalucía (Junta de) : Consejería de Medio Ambiente, Sevilla. Consejería de la Presidencia, Sevilla.

-Aragón (Diputación General de) : Direccion General del Medio Natural, Zaragoza.

-Asturias (Principado de) : Consejería de Agricultura, Oviedo.

-Baleares (Comunidad Autónoma y Gobierno de las Islas): Consejería de Medio Ambiente, Ordenación del Teritorio y Litoral, Palma de Mallorca.

-Canarias (Gobierno de) : Consejería de Política Territorial y Medio Ambiente, Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

-Cantabria (Diputación Regional y Consejo de Gobierno de): Servicio de Montes, Caza y Conservación de la Naturaleza, Santander.

-Castilla-La-Mancha (Junta de Comunidades de) : Delegaciónes Provinciales de Agricultura y Medio Ambiente.

-Castilla y León (Junta de) : Consejería de Medio Ambiente y Ordenación del Territorio, Mérida.

-Cataluña (Generalitat de) : Subdirección General de Conservació de la Natura, Barcelona.

-Galicia (Junta de) : Consellería de Medio Ambiente. Dirección General de Montes y Medio Ambiente Natural, Santiago de Compostela.

-Madrid (Communidad de) : Consejería de Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo Regional, Madrid.

-Murcia (Región de) : Consejería de Medio Ambiente, Agricultura y Agua, Murcia.

-Navarra (Gobierno y Diputación Foral de) : Departamento de Medio Ambiente, Ordenación del Territorio y Vivienda, Pamplona.

-País Vasco (Gobierno Vasco) : Diputato Foral de Agricultura, Vitoria.

-La Rioja (Communidad Autónoma de) : Direccion General del Medio Natural, Logrono.

-Valencia (Generalitat Valenciana) : Direcciones Territoriales de la Consellería de Medio Ambiente, Valencia.

France (F)

Ministère de l'Aménagement du Territoire et de l'Environnement, Direction de la Nature et des Paysages, Sous-Direction de la Chasse, de la Faune et de la Flore sauvages, and the State's representatives in the departments subject to authorisation by the Secretary of State for the Environment, 20 Avenue de Ségur, F - 75302 Paris 07 SP.

Ireland (IRL)

Office of Public Works, National Parks and Wildlife Service. 51 St Stephen Green, Irl - Dublin 2.

Italia (I)

Ministero dell'Ambiente. Servizio conservazione della Natura, Via Assisi, 163, I-00181 Roma, and Corpo Forestale dello Stato, Via Carducci, 5, I-00164 Roma. Regional authorities for hunting and fishing (Abruzzi, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia-Trieste, Lazio, Liguria, Lombardia, Marche, Molise, Piemonte, Puglia, Sardegna, Sicilia, Toscana, Trentino-Alto Adige, Umbria, Valle d'Aosta, Veneto).

Luxembourg (L)

Ministère de l'Environnement. Montée de la Pétrusse 18, L - 2918 Luxembourg Ville.

Nederland (NL)

Ministerie van Landbouw, Natuurbeheer en Visserij, Directie Natuurbeheer, Bezuidenhoutseweg, 73, Postbus 20401, NL - 2500 EK Den Haag.

Österreich (A)

-Amt der Burgenländischen Landesregierung, Abt 5/III, Natur- und Umweltschutz

-Amt der Kärntner Landesregierung, A-9021 Klagenfurt

-Amt der Tiroler Landesregierung, Abt. Umweltschutz. Eduard Wallnöfer Platz 1, A - 6020 Innsbruck.

-Amt der Nö Landesregierung, Naturschutzabteilung

-Amt der Oö Landesregierung, Naturschutzabteilung, Linz

-Amt der Salzburger Landesregierung, Abt 13 : Naturschutz, A-5010 Salzburg

-Amt der Steiermärkischen Landesregierung, Rechtsabteilung 6, Graz

-Amt der Vorarlberger Landesregierung, Landhaus, A-6901Bregenz

-Amt der Wiener Landesregierung, 1082 Wien, Rathaus

Portugal (P)

Instituto da Conservaçao da Natureza, Secretaria de Estado do Ambiente e Recursos Naturais, Rua da Lapa 73, P - 1200 Lisboa.

Suomi-Finland (FIN)

Ministry of Environment, P.O. Box 399, Korkeavuorenkatu 21, SF - 00121 Helsinki.

Sweden (S)

Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (Naturvårdsverket), Blekholmsterrassen 36, S-106 48 Stockholm.

United Kingdom (UK)

England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland.

Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, Wildlife Division, Tollgate House, Houlton Street, UK-Bristol BS2 9DJ, after consulting Joint Nature Conservation Committee.

Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, London.

Scottish Development Department, Edinburgh.

Department of Agriculture for Scotland, Edinburgh.

Welsh Office, Cardiff.

Department of the Environment - Northern Ireland, Belfast.

Derogations for scientific reasons are delivered by JNCC, others by regional Government.

1. DEROGATIONS CONCERNING STRICTLY PROTECTED FLORA SPECIES

Year 1997

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Year 1998

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2. DEROGATIONS CONCERNING STRICTLY PROTECTED FAUNA SPECIES (APPENDIX II)

Birds - Year 1997

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* No limit on numbers. In 1994 the corresponding derogation concerned the capture of 25.000 Sturnus spp.

** Including a small number of Fringilla coelebs (species listed in Appendix III to the Bern Convention).

*** No number provided. In 1995 the corresponding derogation concerned less than 2218 individuals in total.

Other species - Year 1995 (additional information)

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* Number of individuals captured and held in captivity between 1994 and 1996.

Other species - Year 1996 (additional information)

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* Number of individuals captured and kept in captivity between 1994 and 1996.

Other species - Year 1997

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Birds - Year 1998

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* No limit on numbers. In 1994 the corresponding derogation concerned the capture of 25.000 Sturnus spp.

** Including a small number of Fringilla coelebs (species listed in Appendix III to the Bern Convention).

*** No number provided. In 1995 the corresponding derogation concerned less than 2218 individuals in total.

Other species - Year 1998

>TABLE POSITION>

3. KEY TO DEROGATIONS FOR STRICTLY PROTECTED SPECIES (APPENDIX II)

AUTHORISED ACTIONS - DEROGATIONS

a) deliberate killing

b) deliberate damage to or destruction of breeding or resting sites

c) deliberate capture and keeping

d) deliberate disturbance of wild fauna

e) deliberate destruction or taking of eggs

f) possession of and internal trade in these animals

REASONS

i) for the protection of flora and fauna

ii) to prevent serious damage to crops, livestock, forests, fisheries, water and other forms of property

iii) in the interests of public health and safety, air safety or other overriding public interests

iv) for the purposes of research and education, of repopulation, of reintroduction and for breeding

v) to permit, under strictly supervised conditions, on a selective basis and to a limited extent, the taking, keeping or other judicious exploitation of certain wild animals and plants in small numbers

vi) falconry

4. DEROGATIONS CONCERNING THE MEANS OF CAPTURE AND KILLING LISTED IN APPENDIX IV

Birds - Year 1997

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* < MSY, (Maximum Sustainable Yield)

** Less than 1% of the total mortality rate of the population concerned

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** Less than 1% of the total mortality rate of the population concerned.

*** Unlimited number, in 1994 the equivalent derogation concerned the capture of 25.000 Sturnus sp (Sturnus vulgaris + Sturnus unicolor) .

**** No number of individuals provided. In 1995 the equivalent derogation concerned a total of less than 2 218 individuals.

Other species - Year 1996 (additional information)

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Other species - Year 1997

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Birds - Year 1998

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* < MSY (Maximum Sustainable Yield)

** Less than 1% of the total mortality rate of the population concerned.

*** Unlimited number, in 1994 the equivalent derogation concerned the capture of 25.000 Sturnus sp (Sturnus vulgaris + Sturnus unicolor).

**** No number of individuals provided. In 1995 the equivalent derogation concerned a total of less than 2 218 individuals.

Other species - Year 1998

>TABLE POSITION>

5. KEY TO DEROGATIONS CONCERNING METHODS OF CAPTURE AND KILLING LISTED IN APPENDIX IV

POSSIBLE REASONS

I For the protection of flora and fauna

II To prevent serious damage to crops, livestock, forests, fisheries, water and other forms of property

III In the interests of public health and safety, air safety or other overriding public interests

IV For the purposes of research and education, of repopulation, of re-introduction and for breeding

V To permit, under strictly supervised conditions, on a selective basis and to a limited extent, the taking, keeping or other judicious exploitation of certain wild animals and plants in small numbers.

METHOD USED

1. Snares

2. Live animals used as decoys, which are blinded or mutilated

3. Tape recorders

4. Electrical devices capable of killing or stunning

5. Artificial light sources

6. Mirrors and other dazzling devices

7. Devices for illuminating targets

8. Sighting devices for night shooting comprising an electronic image magnifier or image converter

9. Explosives

10. Nets

11. Traps

12. Poison and poisoned or anaesthetic bait

13. Gassing and smoking out

14. Semi-automatic or automatic weapons with a magazine capable of holding more than two rounds of ammunition

15. Aircraft

16. Motor vehicles in motion

17. Limes

18. Hooks