LIFE EUROKITE Online-Workshop “Overview of wildlife poisoning in whole Europe”

On November 11th, 2021 an international workshop “Overview of wildlife poisoning in whole Europe” took place within the framework of the LIFE EUROKITE project (LIFE18 NAT / AT / 000048).

The LIFE EUROKITE project is a cross-border and EU-wide project for the protection of the red kite (Milvus milvus), with the aim of sustainably reducing human-caused mortality. The red kite breeds almost exclusively in Europe and is endangered by illegal persecution. Within LIFE EUROKITE, the anthropogenic causes of mortality are investigated with the help of telemetry and work is carried out to reduce the mortality reasons in the future.

For this reason, the international workshop was organized, in which 94 people from 13 different countries and around 40 different organizations and projects took part. The workshop was opened by Werner Falb-Meixner, the chairman of the Central European Society for Raptor Protection (MEGEG) and the Members of the Euuropean Parliament Thomas Waitz (Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance) and Michal Wiezik (Group of the European People's Party - Christian Democrats).

Project coordinators and project managers from different EU LIFE projects, organisations and institutions shared their experiences and their results on actions against illegal poisoning. The workshop gave an overview of illegal poisoning activities in whole Europe, which are taken place in whole Europe and in many different countries.

Together with the experts, important questions about illegal poisoning were discussed and attempts were made to find solutions. In addition, it was determined which steps need to be taken next in order to create further progress against illegal poisoning.

The first results of the LIFE EUROKITE project are shocking. Of 426 tagged red kites, from which we do know the mortality reason, nearly 20 % died due to illegal poisoning. At this point, 13 countries are already affected. This happens not only  in southern Europe, but also in Austria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic in particular. There are already initial successes in the investigation by the police.

For a successful fight against illegal poisoning of wild animals, it is not only the cooperation between NGOs (non-governmental organizations), politics and police that is essential, but also the increasing public awareness that these are criminal offenses and that illegal poisoning not only harms wildlife and the environment but also poses a risk to humans and their pets.

You can find more information about the LIFE EUROKITE project and the results of the workshop on our website: www.life-eurokite.eu

Click here for the press release.