Last week, bird conservationists of several organisations pulled down illegal shooting boxes in the Croatian part of the Neretva Delta in cooperation with local police and firefighters: A great success for bird protection in the Adriatic region und a strong sign that EuroNatur and its partner organisations take resolute action against illegal bird hunting.
Croatian bird conservationists pull down illegal shooting boxes.
© BIOM
Decoys like these are used by hunters for attracting migratory water birds.
© BIOMBird poaching is still a massive problem in many Western Balkan states. This makes it the more important that nature conservationists in the region join forces for taking decisive action. International workshops and camps provide good opportunities for establishing ties and carrying out joint actions. In early September such a camp, organised by EuroNatur partner BIOM and the Committee against Bird Slaughter, took place in the Croatian part of the Neretva Delta. This area, bordering Bosnia-Herzegovina, is a crucial stop-over site for large numbers of water birds along the Adriatic Flyway.
Bird conservationists participating in the camp stayed in the region for several days to monitor and report poaching. They received support by local police. The cooperation between conservationists and security forces worked excellently, which is the more pleasing as this hasn’t always been the case in the past. Together they pulled down illegal shooting boxes and confiscated hunting decoys. Moreover, a few days later police arrested a poacher who had broken hunting laws by using acoustic lures. The successful cooperation of nature conservation organisations, management of protected areas, and local authorities made this bird protection camp a positive example to follow.