Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Members of the European Parliament,
With this letter, we call on the European Union to take action against the illegal poisoning of wildlife in Europe.
Within the LIFE EUROKITE project (LIFE18 NAT/AT/000048) – transboundary protection of the red kite (Milvus milvus) in Europe by reducing human-caused mortality – and in collaboration with various partners, including other LIFE projects and organizations, we are working to uncover the causes of human-related mortality. Illegal poisoning poses a serious threat to many rare and protected species of birds and mammals and also endangers people and their pets. Initial data from the LIFE EUROKITE project indicate that the most common cause of mortality for red kites is human-caused poisoning.
Many Species Action Plans (approximately 50 bird species), developed by BirdLife International, recognize poisoning as a threat and recommend anti-poisoning measures, particularly for birds of prey (e.g., golden eagles, vultures, and red kites).
A significant number of animals die every year due to the deliberate misuse or illegal use of poisons. This unnecessary mortality threatens the conservation of sensitive species, including those protected under national, European, and international laws. Addressing this issue for migratory species requires a cross-border approach at the European Union level.
It is time for the European Union to act against the illegal poisoning of wildlife in Europe:
- Implement the Rome Strategic Plan 2020–2030 more decisively and effectively to address this issue comprehensively.
- Support the “European Day Against Criminal Wildlife Poisoning” on March 1st to raise awareness among the public and policymakers, as this problem is often underestimated and poorly understood.
- Systematically collect data across Europe to create a centralized database on poisonings and identify hotspots. Ideally, this database should be managed by the European Union or one of its organizations.
- Continue to implement the Rome Strategic Plan 2020-2030 more decisively and effectively.
Sign the petition here: https://chng.it/zCZhxGhQSy
With Respect,
Signatories and supporters,
Campaign against the criminal poisoning of European Wildlife (CPEW)
Attachment – Broader Context
The use of toxic baits in rural areas has long been recognized as one of the most widespread methods of predator eradication worldwide (Márquez et al., 2012). This practice poses a significant threat to biodiversity within the European Union. Poison is often used to eliminate wildlife perceived as detrimental to activities such as game management, hunting, ranching, and other agricultural practices (Graham et al., 2005; Sotherton et al., 2009).
The illegal use of poisons is one of the most critical threats to bird conservation, causing severe ecological consequences (Margalida et al., 2008; BirdLife International, 2011). This practice poses a significant direct threat to several species in Europe, including the Spanish eagle (Aquila adalberti), the steppe eagle (Aquila heliaca), the red kite (Milvus milvus), and the Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus). Poisonous baits have been identified as a major factor limiting the spread of reintroduced red kite populations in northern Scotland (Smart et al., 2010) and golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) populations in Great Britain (Whitfield et al., 2008).
Poisoned baits also severely impact carnivorous mammal populations, contributing to population declines and even regional or national extinctions of species such as bears, lynxes, wolves, martens, and wild cats (Council of Europe, 1993; Breitenmosser, 1998; Lozano & Malo, 2012; Ripple et al., 2014). The indiscriminate use of poison baits endangers other wild animals, livestock, working animals (e.g., herding and hunting dogs), pets, and human health, often with fatal consequences.
A substantial number of birds die annually from the misuse or illegal use of poisons (Brochet et al., 2015; Bodega Zugasti, 2014). Research from Germany also highlights the dangers of rodenticides, showing that anticoagulant rodenticides were detected in 81.3% of hawks (Accipiter gentilis) and 80.5% of red kites (Badry et al., 2021).
This unnecessary mortality significantly affects the conservation of endangered species, including those protected by national, European, and international laws. Despite existing frameworks like the Convention on Migratory Species (Tunisia Action Plan), the Nature Directives, the Environmental Crime Directive, and numerous LIFE projects aimed at combating poisoning, a transboundary approach at the EU level is crucial to effectively address the issue for migratory species.
The Problem
Toxic baits involve poisoning food with substances like insecticides, rodenticides, fungicides, herbicides, or slug killers. These baits, left in accessible areas, often harm non-target species, creating a destructive domino effect that endangers wildlife and poses risks to human health.
Illegal poisoning often involves the misuse of legal compounds or the use of banned substances, such as carbofuran or aldicarb. In Spain, between 2005 and 2010, aldicarb accounted for 50% of poisoning cases, while carbofuran caused 22% (Bodega Zugasti, 2012). Similarly, in Hungary, carbofuran was detected in 85% of 476 poisoned birds between 2000 and 2015, followed by terbophos (9%) and phorate (7%) (MME/BirdLife Hungary).
Many Species Action Plans (covering around 50 bird species) developed by BirdLife International recognize poisoning as a major threat and recommend anti-poisoning measures, particularly for birds of prey, including both imperial eagles, all vultures, and red kites.
Call to Action
The European Union must act decisively to combat the illegal poisoning of wildlife. Key measures include:
Intensifying efforts to implement the Rome Strategic Plan 2020–2030 with greater determination.
Supporting the establishment of a “European Day Against Criminal Wildlife Poisoning” to raise public and political awareness of this issue.Organizing systematic data collection across Europe to create a centralized database on poisonings.
References
Badry, A., Schenke, D., Treu, G. & Krone, O. 2021. Linking landscape composition and biological factors with exposure levels of rodenticides and agrochemicals in avian apex predators from Germany. Environmental Research 193 (2021) 110602, ELSEVIER.
BirdLife International. 2011. Review of the illegal killing and trapping of birds in Europe. European Conference on illegal killing of birds. Larnaca, Cyprus.
Breitenmoser U. 1998. Large predators in the Alps: The fall and rise of man’s competitors. Biol. Conserv., 83, 279-289
Brochet, AL., Van Den Bossche, W., Jbour, S., et al. 2015. Preliminary assessment of the scope and scale of illegal killing and taking of birds in the Mediterranean. Bird Conservation International. 2016; 26(1):1-28. doi:10.1017/S0959270915000416
Council of Europe. 1993. Seminar on the biology and conservation of the wildcat (Felis silvestris). Council of Europe, Strasbourg.
De la Bodega Zugasti, D. 2012. Estudio sobre las sustancias que provocan el envenenamiento de fauna silvestre. Madrid: SEO/BirdLife.
De la Bodega Zugasti, D. 2014, Uso ilegal de cebos envenenados. Investigación y análisis jurídico. SEO/BirdLife-Proyecto Life+VENENO. Madrid.
Graham, K., Beckerman, A. & Thirgood, S. 2005. Human–predator–prey conflicts: ecological correlates, prey losses and patterns of management. Biological Conservation 122, no. 2: 159-171
Lozano, J. & Malo, AF 2012. Conservation of European wildcat (Felis silvestris) in Mediterranean environments: a reassessment of current threats. Mediterranean Ecosystems: Dynamics, Management and Conservation (ed. Williams, GS). Nova Science Publishers Inc., Hauppauge, pp. 1-31.
Margalida, A., Heredia, R., Razin, M., & Hernández, M. 2008. Sources of variation in mortality of the Bearded vulture Gypaetus barbatus in Europe. Bird Conservation International 18, no. 1: 1
Márquez, C. J. M., Villafuerte Vargas, R. & Fa, J. E. 2012. Understanding the propensity of wild predators to illegal poison baiting. Animal Conservation: 118-129
MME/ BirdLife Hungary. TOTEM database serves. TOTEM database serves to collect mortality cases of wild animals that died for various reasons. This database targets the main causes of destruction that affect wild amphibian, reptile, bird and mammal species (eg poisoning, electrocution, collision with vehicles, window collisions, shooting, etc.). The development of this online database was supported by the European Commission’s LIFE Nature program in the frame of the PannonEagle project “Conservation of the Eastern Imperial Eagle by decreasing human-caused mortality in the Pannonian Region” (LIFE15/NAT/HU/000902).
Ripple WJ, Estes, J.A., Beschta, R.L., Wilmers, C.C., Richie, E.G., Hebblewhite, M., Berger, J., Elmhagen, B., Letnic, M., Nelson, M.P., Schmitz, O.J., Smith, D.W., Wallach, A.D. & Wirsing, A.J. 2014. Status and ecological effects of the world’s largest carnivores. Science, 343, 1241484.
Smart, J. et al. 2010. Illegal killing slows population recovery of a re-introduced raptor of high conservation concern – the red kite Milvus milvus. Biological Conservation 143.5: 1278-1286.
Sotherton, N., Tapper S. & Smith, A. 2009. Hen harriers and red grouse: economic aspects of red grouse shooting and the implications for moorland management. Journal of Applied Ecology 46, no. 5: 955-960
Virgós, E. & Travaini, A. 2005. Relationship between Small-game Hunting and Carnivore Diversity in Central Spain. Biodivers. Conserv., 14, 3475-3486.
Whitfield, DP, Fielding, AH, McLeod, DRA & Haworth, PF 2008. A conservation framework for golden eagles: implications for their conservation and management in Scotland. Scottish Natural Heritage Commissioned Report No.193 (ROAME No. F05AC306).
