Annual Report 2018 EuroNatur Foundation

Photo: Stefan Ferger - poacher with dog
Important achievements in 2018
The cooperation between our partners in the Balkans and
local law enforcement has been proving fruitful. Once
again, illegal hunters in the Neretva Delta were caught in
the act and arrested in 2018. Weapons and duck decoys
were also confiscated in the Neretva Delta, and illegally
constructed hunting shelters were demolished in several
countries along the Adriatic Flyway.
Our Serbian partner organization BPSSS was awarded the
renowned Marjan-Marsh Award in London for their
commitment to combating illegal bird hunting.
Outlook
In recent years we have made a great deal of progress
on protecting birds along the Adriatic Flyway. Regular
patrols in the area and close cooperation with the police
have resulted in a decline in hunting in much of the area.
We intend to further push ahead with these efforts. But
we also aim at significantly reducing other man-made
causes of death for birds in the Balkans. In future we will
therefore expand our focus to also include the issues of
poisoning and electrocution. In addition we will continue
our efforts to achieve the designation as a protected area
of the Ulcinj Salina under national and international law.
Hunting illegal hunters in the Neretva Delta
Croatia, in addition to Albania, is among the Balkan
countries in which the largest numbers of birds are
illegally shot. A particular focus of our Croatian partners’
efforts to combat illegal hunting is the Neretva
Delta. Since September 2017 they have been organizing
camps against illegal hunting several times a
year, at times with international participation, and
in close cooperation with local law enforcement. The
Biom staff has trained more than 400 police officers
all over Croatia in how to effectively combat wildlife
crimes. The Biom staff is also trying to engage in
constructive dialogue with law-abiding hunters in the
region, as fewer birds and a bad reputation does not
serve them well.
Photo: Willi Rolfes - crane (Grus grus)
Partners: BirdLife International, VCF, IUCN Med, Tour du Valat,
BPSSS, HDZZP, BIOM, Naše ptice, CZIP, MSJA, PPNEA, AOS,
DOPPS, MES, WWF Spain, ATN, WWF Greece
Funding: Mava Foundation, Natum Foundation,
EuroNatur’s donors and sponsors
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Annual Report 2018
Nomads of the sky