Estonia seeks allies to ease EU brown bear protection
Estonia and several other European countries are looking to move the brown bear to a less strict protection level under the EU Habitats Directive. The process would be lengthy and need majority backing among member states.
Estonia is working with several other European countries to move the brown bear from strict to less stringent protection under the European Union's Habitats Directive, Estonian outlet Maaleht reported. The Estonian government argues that shifting the species from Annex IV to Annex V of the directive would make it easier to regulate bear numbers.
Why the directive is seen as a problem
Aimar Rakko, hunting adviser at Estonia's Climate Ministry, says the directive was written in 1992 for member states with few or no bears. Countries with larger bear populations, including Slovakia, Croatia, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia and Finland, joined the EU later. Rakko names likely allies as Finland, Sweden and Latvia, along with Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Croatia, Slovenia and other Balkan states. In Poland and Romania bears have attacked people, with deaths. No formal application has been drafted; around 10 countries could potentially join forces, but not all are open to more hunting.
Slovakia, with at least 2,500 bears and 106 attacks in ten years that killed four people, backs Estonia's push. Slovenia, with about 1,000 bears and 20 attacks, supports talks without an official position. Romania has doubled its annual cull to 969 bears, against an estimated population of 10,419 to 12,770.
A long process
Timo Kark, head of the Climate Ministry's biodiversity department, says the process will be lengthy. A majority of member states must first propose changes to the Berne Convention, which its parties must adopt; only then can the European Commission propose amending the directive's annexes, again needing member-state support. Rakko rejects relocation: Estonia's forests are too small, a bear returns within a day or two, and moving it merely shifts the problem elsewhere at the state's expense.
Situation in Estonia
Since April, bears in Estonia may be culled only with a special Environmental Board permit for problem animals, which hunters say has effectively ended the annual bear hunt. This autumn the board issued permits for 30 bears and hunters killed 10, against an Environment Agency recommendation of up to 150. In September the Tallinn Circuit Court suspended the remaining permits pending a ruling on a challenge by the NGO Eesti Suurkiskjad. Estonia's bear population is estimated at around 1,100, roughly double that of 20 years ago.
