“The State has really chosen to unbalance the plan by giving a preponderant role to wolf shootings, to the destruction of wolves in the management of the presence of the species,” deplores the France Nature Environnement network.
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“The signal given is really very bad”, denounced Thursday February 22 on franceinfo Jean-David Abel, pilot of the biodiversity network of France Nature Environnement (FNE), while the government announces a new wolf plan. From now on, when a wolf attacks a herd, two or even three shooters will now be authorized compared to just one today. “The State has really chosen to unbalance the plan by giving a preponderant role to wolf shootings and wolf destruction in the management of the presence of the species”he lamented.
The subject is particularly sensitive and pits farmers and environmental defenders against each other. Jean-David Abel does not understand this new doctrine: “The wolf population in recent years has grown quite significantly in a certain number of departments, while the damage has stagnated for six years. Last year again, it even declined”he explained. “It’s really a communicating plan” aimed at breeders, he added.
The FNSEA demanded more authorized wolf shooting
Jean-David Abel criticizes “trivialization of shooting even in low damage situations”. However, he “does not call into question the fact that wolves are killed, once again, when there are centers of predation with protected farms which nevertheless suffer attacks”, he said. According to him, the “protection dogs, electric fences and human presence” are very effective as means of protection. “It is the dogs who are first and foremost the most efficient. From January to December, at night, in all climates, everywhere, it is the dogs who do 90% of the work”he stressed.
Today there are more than 1,000 wolves in France for 12,000 animals attacked, according to official figures. The population is underestimated, according to the FNSEA. The union demanded more authorizations for fatal shootings set at 209 per year, or 19% of the total number of wolves. For Jean-David Abel, with this new plan, “Above all, we are going to kill more wolves. That’s our problem. In situations in which the exceptional conditions are not met and in which there are no or few attacks or little damage”he denounced.
He pointed to the speech given by Marc Fesneau: “We are with the presence of a protected species. Contrary to what the Minister of Agriculture says, the good state of conservation is absolutely not proven in France. It has no scientific element. Moreover, he has not requested any scientific study, but on the other hand he facilitates the shooting as if it were a species that was present in tens of thousands in our country”, he regretted. Jean-David Abel has the feeling that “biodiversity is really the variable for adjusting relations with the majority union”the FNSEA.