BASECAMP DISPATCHES WILD SHEEP FOUNDATION ENGAGES PARTNERS FOR WILD SHEEP CONSERVATION AND SCIENCE BASED SUSTAINABLE USE HUNTING ACROSS THE OCEAN!

In April, Conservation Director for International Programs, Kurt Alt, represented Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF) at both the International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC) General Assembly in Paris, France, and the European Federation for Hunting and Conservation (FACE) Annual

Membership Meeting and European Hunters Conference in Sofia, Bulgaria.

CIC is an International non-profit organization first formed in 1930, that unites and advises countries and organizations on the conservation of wildlife and their habitats. The CIC is committed to promoting sustainable hunting practices and the conservation of wildlife worldwide. During the General Assembly, CIC and Shane Mahoney agreed to develop a Memorandum of Understanding for expanding Shane’s Wild Harvest Initiative developed in North America, for Europe. CIC headquarters are in Budapest, Hungary.

FACE, established in 1977, (the same year WSF officially incorporated!) is an international non-profit organization that represents the interests of hunters and conservationists representing national hunting organizations from 37 European countries representing over 7 million hunters. This is an evidence-based organization that aims to promote sustainable use hunting, wildlife conservation and sound natural resource policy development. During the membership meeting, WSF was officially accepted as an Associate Member. FACE headquarters are in Brussels, Belgium.

These two organizations are Europe’s largest hunter-based conservation organizations. Our membership and participation with CIC and FACE is providing WSF with access to a vast network of hunter conservationists, researchers and policy makers. It enhances our advocacy effort worldwide, including science-based, sustainable use hunting, species and habitat conservation, and educational outreach.

Europe’s issues mirror those in our back yard. Romania has 8,000 brown bears, yet with a stroke of a pen hunting management was removed several years ago. There are about 2,500 wolves in Germany, human/wildlife conflicts are increasing and yet wolf numbers are not allowed to be managed. Chamois may be feeling the impact from loss of glaciers and permafrost in the Alps. There is potential to expand Alpine ibex into suitable yet unoccupied historic habitat.

The European farm bill caries many of the important incentive programs and issues with wildlife conservation as our farm bill does. Our common and shared experiences could lead to more effective approaches when communicating with the public regarding the importance of sciencebased sustainable use management in conservation and in supporting local communities and cultures.

These relationships are already proving relevant both in North

America, Europe and Central Asia as we work within the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and Global Biodiversity policy frameworks. In our letter to the US Department of Interior, CIC joined our North American-based hunting conservation organizations’ efforts to seek clarification for why the US Fish and Wildlife Service has denied import permits for Marco Polo sheep from Tajikistan. In addition, both organizations are prepared to lobby European countries in support of a future Mexico led delisting effort for desert bighorn sheep in Mexico. Using CITES as an example of European influence, the USA, Canada, and Mexico are treaty signatories to CITES, each getting one vote. However, if the European Union votes as a block of 27 countries as individual signatories, they have 27 votes. In May, we sent out an appeal to our membership to add their names to a (signforhunting. com) campaign drive led by FACE to obtain over 300,000 signatures to be delivered to the EU parliament in support of the importance of hunting and its value for biodiversity and uniting cultures across Europe. We may need their support on our side of the ocean in the future. Our membership and involvement with CIC and FACE opens up a range of opportunities for WSF in the future including increased membership and funding opportunities. In addition, there is the potential for conservation permit offerings for European based conservation efforts for alpine ibex and chamois.

As WSF continues to grow and expand, our reputation and dedication to wild sheep and their habitat in North America, and now Europe, serves as an inspiration for conservationists and wildlife enthusiasts worldwide. WS