Cyprus fails to allow recovery of turtle doves

Cyprus is among countries that have so far failed to temporarily ban the hunting of turtle doves, an avian species still trying to recover from an “alarming population decline”.

BirdLife Cyprus “once again calls on the Game and Fauna Service to follow the example of the countries of western Europe and contribute to efforts for the recovery of the species, by imposing a temporary ban on hunting the turtle dove in Cyprus.”

It added that in Cyprus, “the loss of the species’ habitats was another main reason for the dramatic decline of its population over the past decades.”

The turtle dove had been listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), as its population had dropped to nearly half over the past 20 years in central and eastern Europe.

In western Europe, which applied a three-year ban on hunting this species, the turtle dove is showing signs of recovery, raising hopes that it will not become extinct.

Unfortunately, this is not the case in countries such as Cyprus, Greece, Bulgaria and Malta, which have not implemented effective measures.

BirdLife Cyprus said that, despite recommendations by the European Commission and specialists for zero hunting, these countries have merely reduced the ceiling.

“It is clear that reducing the total limit of harvesting by country is not enough and a temporary ban on hunting the species must be applied in central and eastern Europe too,” BirdLife Cyprus said.

It added that the ban should be coupled with targeted actions to restore and manage the species’ habitats.

“In any case, the increase recorded in the population of the turtle dove in western Europe indicates beyond any doubt the positive effect banning hunting has on the species,” BirdLife said.

This evidence, it added, “cannot be ignored.”