The government published the new list of “species likely to cause damage” (ESOD) on Friday August 4th. This one, which will be valid until 2026, is almost identical to that established in 2019, with one exception: the skunk is no longer included. The previous Secretary of State for Biodiversity, Bérangère Couillard, had committed to it, indicating that we could “no longer hunt skunks all year round”.
In the new version of this list, weasel, weasel, marten, fox, rook, magpie, eastern jay and starling can be “trapped all year round”, “destroyed at shot” and for some “unearthed”, according to the text published in the Official Journal.
These eight species belong to group 2 of the ESODs, which also includes two others: one concerns invasive alien species (nutria, muskrat, etc.) and the other is defined according to local specificities (wild rabbit, pigeon woodpigeon…). The polecat was included in this group 2 until now, but following a decision by the Council of State dated July 2021 judging that the conservation status of this species was “unfavourable”, it does not appear there. more.
Various NGOs are questioning the legitimacy of the ESOD orders, deeming the idea of ??authorizing the “unlimited” killing of animals “in the context of the ecological emergency and the collapse of biodiversity” archaic, and questioning the method of drawing up the list, which results from simple statements that are not subject to any checks, both on the veracity of the facts and on the estimate of the damage.
The office of the new Secretary of State for Biodiversity, Sarah El Haïry, told AFP “want to initiate a reflection to make the framework (of the ESOD) more readable and effective in accordance with the expectations of the actors”. A mission of the General Inspectorate of the Ministry (IGEDD) is planned for this purpose to “identify how the others (countries) are doing and be able to compare and fuel collective reflection”.
The government also published three decrees on Friday to suspend the hunting of three species of birds until the end of July 2024: the Eurasian curlew, the black-tailed godwit and the turtle dove. These are “particularly endangered” species, argued Sarah El Haïry’s entourage. “These three moratorium orders are part of the doctrine which is that when science tells us that the state of the species does not allow it, the State does not issue hunting quotas and can take moratoriums,” said we explained from the same source.
