50 years ago, a canton in a European country banned the hunting of wild animals. Today, several wildlife organizations are calling for the ban to be extended nationwide.
Wild animals have not been hunted in the canton of Geneva for five decades. Source: Freepik.com
Since 1974, recreational hunting has been completely banned in the canton of Geneva in Switzerland. Local organizations say the decision half a century ago contradicted the gloomy predictions of representatives of hunting associations.
“Geneva’s hunting ban was a sensation in its time, attracting great attention even beyond the borders of the canton. For the hunting world, it was a shock – and still is. Geneva’s example proves that life without amateur hunters is possible, even in a densely populated cultural landscape. Moreover, nature and animals live better, and people also benefit from this balance.” shows the association “IG Wild beim Wild”, which campaigns for the protection of wild animals.
Due to high hunting pressure in France and the neighboring canton of Vaud, many wild animals seek “asylum” in Geneva. Some animals even swim across the Rhône River to take refuge in the canton, environmentalists say.
Amateur hunters, replaced by environmental guardians
According to the organization, the ecological balance has improved, biodiversity in forests and farmlands has increased, and observed deer, wild boar and fox populations are healthier. The damage caused to agriculture by wild animals is almost insignificant, they are generally caused by herds of wild boars which, once in the vineyards, can consume between 300 and 400 kilograms of grapes in a single night.
Farmers were supported to install electric fences, and the number of wild boars is kept under control, in the last decade, around 300 such animals have been shot by the environmental guards. Environmental groups tout the canton of Geneva as a model of successful wildlife management, and some have recently called for the ban to be extended to the whole of Switzerland, where there are around 30,000 amateur hunters.
“They shoot hundreds of thousands of wild animals every year – claiming they do it to ‘regulate populations’. But scientific studies have shown for years that, in reality: hunting often exacerbates overpopulation, instead of preventing it (by disrupting natural population dynamics). Hunting affects animal migrations, family structures and natural selection. Hunting increases the risk of damage caused by animals, as they, stressed, seek new territories”shows the “IG Wild beim Wild” association.
Environmentalists add that there are modern and humane alternatives for wildlife management, so that in the 21st century, no one should be allowed to torture, injure or kill animals for pleasure or tradition.
“A national ban on hunting in Switzerland would not be a radical step, but a logical and natural evolution. This does not mean that people would abandon nature or look away. It just means that interventions would only take place in truly exceptional cases, based on scientific criteria and carried out by specialized personnel, not armed amateurs.”the organization reports.
In recent years, several countries in Europe have tightened the regime of recreational hunting, and some have banned such practices, in certain periods and protected areas. It was only this autumn that a ban on hunting, initiated in 2014 in Albania, was lifted, to the satisfaction of hunting associations.
And Romania has its own oases of wild animals
The canton of Geneva, where hunting was banned five decades ago, is presented by animal rights organizations as a unique European example of successful wildlife management.
However, it covers 280 square kilometers and is inhabited by 500,000 people, is sandwiched between two massifs, forests occupy only 15 percent of its area, and lakes occupy a similar area of 40 square kilometers. In practice, hunting was difficult to practice in such a restricted and urbanized area anyway, so the decision to ban it was taken lightly.
Romania is in a different situation than Switzerland regarding the natural environment and wildlife. Romania’s forests occupy seven million hectares, five times more than in Switzerland, and the fauna in them is richer and more diverse. The Carpathian Mountains in Romania have preserved significant populations of bears and wolves, while in Switzerland they are almost non-existent.
Hunting has a long tradition in the country, but it is prohibited in the national parks of the Carpathian Mountains and strictly regulated in the other nature reserves. The oldest prohibitions date back to 1935, when the Retezat National Park was established, when the Romanian state decided to transform the wildest land of the retezat, spread over more than 100 square kilometers, into a nature sanctuary, in which any kind of destruction of flora, fauna and forests was prohibited.
The forbidden place in Retezat
Over time, the area of the national park has increased, currently reaching approximately 40,000 hectares. At its center, a wild place has remained almost untouched since the 1950s.
“Gemenele Scientific Reserve, established in 1955, is located in the central area of the Retezat National Park, with an area of 1947.39 ha. In the reserve, a strict protection regime is ensured, whereby the habitats are kept in their natural state, only scientific activities are allowed (other human activities being prohibited), with the consent of the Retezat National Park Administration. Many of the 1190 species of superior plants from Retezat, allowed to develop freely in their natural habitat”, shows the administration of the Retezat National Park.
In the center of the Gemenele Scientific Reserve, at 1770 meters above sea level, the Romanian Academy built the Laboratory House, where in the past scientific research was carried out by specialists who came to observe the habitats outside of any human impact.
On its territory, tourism is prohibited, as well as camping, fire, abandoning waste, picking plants, damaging trees, opening some paths and tourist routes, and hunting has been completely stopped for seven decades.
