France extends curlew and godwit hunting ban

A ban on hunting curlew and black-tailed godwit in France has been extended. The restriction has been in place since 2020 and is renewed annually by the Council of State, France’s highest administrative law court.

The ban was introduced as part of France’s efforts to meet its international obligations under the African and Eurasian Waterfowl Agreement. Eurasian curlew are classified as

‘near threatened’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature due to steep population declines.

The extension of the ban was welcomed by conservationists, and even France’s normally very vocal hunting lobby expressed little opposition. Hunter Dylan Romain responded to news of the ban by saying: “Both species are in decline, I can’t see any reason to hunt them.” His view was endorsed by fellow hunter Frédéric Aubrée, who simply said: “It is no drama, there are other birds.”

While the curlew hunting ban has been relatively uncontroversial in France, restrictions to glue trapping and the use of traditional hair snares to capture songbirds are being actively opposed by French hunters, who view them as important elements of their cultural heritage.

Hunting ban extended: curlew numbers are in decline in France