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EU hunting directors-general on African swine fever and the issue of wild game in urban areas

An informal meeting of EU hunting directors-general took place in Postojna on 14 and 15 September. Director-General of the Forestry and Hunting Directorate Robert Režonja attended the meeting on behalf of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU, while the European Commission was represented by Žilvinas Ilevičius from the Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety. State Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Anton Harej attended the opening of the meeting.
EU hunting directors-general in Postojna

EU hunting directors-general in Postojna | Author MKGP

The representatives of 13 EU member states and the European Commission as well as the representatives of CIC (International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation) and FACE (European Federation for Hunting and Conservation) participated in the plenary session. The participants discussed the African swine fever and the issue of wild game in urban areas and they became acquainted with the management of large carnivores in the Republic of Slovenia.

Žilvinas Ilevičius presented the situation in relation to the African swine fever across Europe. The disease occurred in the European Union in 2014 and it has currently spread to 12 member states. It has a major impact on the economics of pig farming and the management of wild boar in nature. Being aware of the problems caused by the disease, the European Commission has already drawn up recommendations on the preventive measures and actions for the control of the disease. Czechia and Belgium are the only two countries that have been successful so far in eradicating the African swine fever. Sašo Novinec, Head of the Hunting Division at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, outlined the situation in the Republic of Slovenia to the participants, stressing that African swine fever has not yet been detected in Slovenia but that preventive measures have already been implemented. Member states' representatives exchanged experience in the implementation of preventive measures and disease eradication.

Prof. Klemen Jerina from the Biotechnical Faculty of the University of Ljubljana presented the situation and management of the brown bear in Slovenia. Numerous representatives of the member states present shared their experience in managing the brown bear and outlined the current situation of the population of large carnivores in their countries.

Director of the Expert Service at the Hunters Association of Slovenia Božo Zakrajšek described to the participants the organisation of hunting in Slovenia and the Hunters Association of Slovenia. He outlined the activities of Slovenian hunters. Miha Marenče from the Slovenia Forest Service presented the ecosystem approach to forest management and game management in Slovenia. He drew attention to the fact that animal and plant components of forests are inextricably linked and that this is taken into account in preparing forest and hunting management plans in Slovenia. All users of forest lands are key stakeholders in preparing these plans.

On the second day of the meeting, Prof. Boštjan Pokorny presented the situation and the issue of wild game in settlements and other urban areas where animals and people come into contact. The most problematic species in Europe is the wild boar, followed by the fox and, in some areas, the stone marten, which can cause considerable damage. Research shows that mustelids not only cause damage to property but can also transmit the new coronavirus, which has become a very topical subject.

Prof. Pokorny stressed that significant efforts have been made in Slovenia to seek solutions for the problems caused by game in non-hunting areas, in particular on roads in order to prevent collision with vehicles. New technologies and the processing of data on animals run over by vehicles, which is collected by the hunting information system, enable us to recognise the highest risk road sections. Based on this information, we put blue reflectors on the highest risk road sections, which helped us to reduce the number of collisions. Prof. Elena Bužan then took the floor to present an international project aimed at finding the difference between data collection with the help of the general public or with the help of the professional public. It is expected that there will be considerable difference, taking into account the specific knowledge of the professional public that is crucial for acquiring the relevant data. The representative of Luxemburg shared the country's experience with wild game in settlements. She stressed that people are often responsible for the problems caused by animals since they give them food and invite them to come near their homes. She believes that educating and raising awareness of the general public, in particular children and young people, is crucial for tackling this issue. Considering that removing animals from urban areas is a sensitive manner, it has to be carried out in a professional and environmentally sound way. The matter should not be left solely to hunters or local communities.

The afternoon part of the meeting consisted of a field trip to the Jelen special-purpose hunting ground. Head of the hunting ground Anton Marinčič described the hunting ground and game management in a special-purpose hunting ground. The participants walked through the Mašun forest trail and had the opportunity to see the brown bear in its natural environment.