Over the past week, BirdLife Malta has reported to police two cases of illegal hunting within the protected bird sanctuaries of Buskett and Comino. These acts, committed in clear violation of Malta’s bird conservation laws, underscore a disturbing trend of impunity among hunters and highlight the urgent need for strengthened enforcement, especially at these protected areas which should be free from hunting and trapping.
Under Malta’s Conservation of Wild Birds Regulations (Subsidiary Legislation 549.42), bird sanctuaries are protected zones where the hunting or trapping of wild birds is strictly prohibited. These have over the years been designated within various Natura 2000 sites and other sites of various interests to protect birds and natural habitats as well as limit conflicts between hunting and other human activities.
On November 22, 2024, a visit to Buskett following reports of hunters pursuing the hunting of Woodcocks in this area, resulted in video footage of two hunters actively hunting undisturbed within Buskett forest. A witness filmed the act and reported the matter to Environmental Protection Unit (EPU) who acted promptly and apprehended two hunters red-handed. Shotguns were confiscated and the hunters will be prosecuted in court.
In a separate incident, just yesterday on November 27, 2024, video footage was gathered of a hunter actively hunting with dogs on Comino, another protected Bird Sanctuary which spans the whole island. Hunters have for months been scouting the island with hunting dogs unregulated, enticing such unhindered illegal hunting on the island in the absence of any enforcement officials. Footage collected by BirdLife Malta has led to a suspect being charged and is expected to be arraigned in court by Gozo Police.
While bird sanctuaries are protected by law on paper, such protection is futile unless backed up by the necessary enforcement resources. Bird sanctuaries serve as safe zones for migratory birds as well as locally nesting birds, as opposed to the rest of rural areas across the Maltese Islands where hunting and trapping is permitted.
“These incidents highlight the urgent need for authorities like ERA, WBRU, and the police to step up and ensure Malta’s small protected areas are genuinely safeguarded. That hunters can actively target birds on a protected Natura 2000 site like Comino underscores the neglect of these critical areas and the failure of taxpayer-funded agencies to uphold their duty to protect them,” remarked Nicholas Barbara, BirdLife Malta’s Head of Conservation.
While we commend the efforts of the Environmental Protection Unit in Malta and Gozo Police for their swift enforcement actions, it is clear that more must be done to ensure the protection of our bird sanctuaries. Stronger enforcement, regular monitoring, and increased presence are essential to safeguard these vital areas for our wildlife. In such absence the vital assistance of volunteers and organisations like BirdLife Malta remain essential in order to fill in the gaps of enforcement lacunae.
You can read our press release in Maltese here.