Bern Convention: what about Eben Emael????

The Bern Convention (EN html version)

Convention de Berne (FR)
Texte de Convention (FR) avec Annexes III en IV

Council of Europe


All countries that have signed the Bern Convention must take action to:

*promote national policies for the conservation of wild flora and fauna, and their natural habitats;
*have regard to the conservation of wild flora and fauna in their planning and development policies, and in their measures against pollution;
*promote education and disseminate general information on the need to conserve species of wild flora and fauna and their habitats;
*encourage and co-ordinate research related to the purposes of this Convention.

Wie zoekt, die vindt. De Conventie van Bern betreft bindende en wettelijke verplichtingen met betrekking tot bescherming en behoud van flora en fauna en hun natuurlijke omgeving. Ook België heeft, als land, dit verdrag getekend. Voor een document (in het Engels) met in Appendix 3 en Appendix 4 (of klik op de links in het Word document) beschreven welke dieren beschermd zijn en welke methoden om ze te vangen en te doden verboden zijn, klik HIER. Dan zal duidelijk worden dat de das (meles meles) als beschermde diersoort geldt maar bovenal dat het verboden is om stroppen en vallen (snares, collets, pièges) te gebruiken!




The Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (the Bern Convention) was adopted in Bern, Switzerland in 1979, and came into force in 1982. The principal aims of the Convention are to ensure conservation and protection of wild plant and animal species and their natural habitats (listed in Appendices I and II of the Convention), to increase cooperation between contracting parties, and to regulate the exploitation of those species (including migratory species) listed in Appendix 3. To this end the Convention imposes legal obligations on contracting parties, protecting over 500 wild plant species and more than 1000 wild animal species.

Appendix 4 clearly describes that the use of snares/collets/pièges is not allowed! It's also against the law to deliberately disturb or damage their habitat.

To implement the Bern Convention in Europe, the European Community adopted Council Directive 79/409/EEC on the Conservation of Wild Birds (the EC Birds Directive) in 1979, and Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora (the EC Habitats Directive) in 1992. Among other things the Directives provide for the establishment of a European network of protected areas (Natura 2000), to tackle the continuing losses of European biodiversity on land, at the coast and in the sea to human activities.