The Campaign against Criminal Poisoning of European Wildlife (CPEW)
The Issue
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Members of the European Parliament,
With this letter we ask the European Union to take action to counteract illegal poisoning of our wildlife in Europe.
In the course of the LIFE EUROKITE project (LIFE18 NAT/AT/000048) “cross-border protection of the red kite in Europe by reducing human-caused mortality”, together with various supporters e. g. other LIFE projects and different organisations, we aim to get to the root of the anthropogenic mortality reasons. Illegal poisoning is threatening many rare and protected species of birds and mammals and endangering the public and their pets. The first data of the LIFE EUROKITE project indicates that poisoning is by far the main human-caused mortality reason for red kites.
Many of the Species Action Plans (around 50 bird species), developed by BirdLife International and funded by the EU, recognise poisoning as a threat and recommend anti-poisoning actions in most of the plans for raptors (e. g. both imperial eagles, all vultures and red kites).
Very large numbers of animals are killed every year as a result of deliberate misuse or otherwise illegal use of poisons. This unnecessary mortality can severely affect the conservation status of vulnerable species, including species protected under national, EU and wider international law. A transboundary approach at EU level is needed to address this problem in the case of migratory species.
It is time now that the European Union takes action to counteract illegal poisoning of our wildlife in Europe.
➔ Supporting the “European day against criminal poisoning of wildlife” on 1st March to raise awareness of the general public and the political decision makers, as the topic is widely underestimated and unknown.
➔Systematic data collection for whole Europe to create a poisoning data base and to identify hot spots. Ideally, this data base should be managed by the European Union or one of its organisations.
➔Need to pursue the Rome Strategic Plan 2020-2030 further and more vigorously.
Help us and sign this petition!
The Campaign against Criminal Poisoning of European Wildlife (CPEW)
https://stopwildlifepoisoning.eu/
