While hunting has been prohibited for five years, turtle doves will soon find themselves in hunters’ sights. A decree authorizing the resumption of hunting this species is currently being prepared and is open for consultation until August 22.
In 2020, the Council of State forced the government to suspend this hunt, as turtle dove populations had declined by more than 40% in ten years. However, according to a new assessment by the European Commission, turtle dove numbers are on the rise again.
“It hasn’t recovered! It’s starting to recover, but we haven’t reached the numbers we saw in the 1980s,” says Cédric Marteau, Secretary General of the League for the Protection of Birds. “It’s recovering mainly in Spain, where we’re seeing real breeding success for this species. We’re not seeing that in France.”
Yet the government does plan to authorize hunting for the season beginning in September, with a maximum quota of 10,560 turtle doves killed. Hunters will have to report their kills on a dedicated app. The LPO (Living and Protecting Birds) says it is “very skeptical about the method. The risk is that, unlike the Portuguese, who chose to wait for a real recovery of the turtle dove population, we’ll see another decline in the coming years,” explains Cédric Marteau.
The Hunters’ Federation, for its part, assures us that it is actively involved in monitoring the species and preserving its habitats.
