TIRANA, Feb.16 – As a current two-year moratorium on all hunting in Albania is set to expire next month, officials are considering the possibility for extending the ban for another five years.
The adoption of the current ban was seen as the only way to put an end to uncontrolled and illegal hunting, which has decimated wildlife populations in the country over the last two and a half decades.
The moratorium took effect in March 2014 and will come to an end in March 2016.
Despite hunting being outlawed, environmental associations in Albania such as the Association for Protection and Preservation of Natural Environment in Albania (PPNEA) and Albanian Society for Protection of Birds and Mammals (ASPBM) have rang the alarm bell as their monitoring teams on the ground have found evidence of an intensification of illegal hunting cases since the last two months of 2015.
They say that illegal hunting is practiced mainly over the weekends and in early morning hours or during the night when law enforcement don’t have enough surveillance over the territory.
Despite the ban hasn’t been fully observed, experts are of the opinion that the hunting moratorium has had a positive impact on the fauna leading to an increase in the number of wild animals, in particular birds. The ban has also created favorable conditions for wildlife researchers to better monitor and estimate population sizes of wildlife in the country.
Considering the ban’s positive effects and the fact that the period has been deemed as too short to have a long-term impact on wildlife populations, re-allowing hunting could possibly overturn what has been achieved by the current moratorium. However, the possible extension of the ban hasn’t been received too well by hunters associations. Last week hunters from all over the country gathered in Tirana to protest the prolongation of the ban claiming that the moratorium hasn’t been respected by everyone.
“Poachers keep shooting, while we are licensed and cannot do that, otherwise we get arrested. Now there are words it will be extended for five years, but if that’s the case, it should be respected at least,” said one of the hunters protesting outside the Prime Minister’s office.
The National Hunters Association has said they will legally fight the decision in case the ban is prolonged.
Albania’s wetlands have traditionally been a feeding ground for birds migrating between Africa and Europe and reckless poaching over the decades has left the country with near-empty skies. The country used to be a popular destination with foreign hunters, mainly from Italy, who took advantage of lax law enforcement to illegally shoot wild animals, driving several species towards extinction. While the ban might have encountered serious enforcement issues, no one can deny its deterrent effect.
