CABS autumn 2011 report on illegal bird killing on Cyprus

The Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) has released a disturbing report on illegal bird killing on Cyprus in autumn 2011.

CABS/FoE Cyprus autumn 2011 report highlights enforcement bias and aggression towards conservationists

Committee Against Bird Slaughter, 26 Feb 2012:

The report by the Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) and Friends of the Earth (FoE) Cyprus on illegal bird killing during migration in autumn 2011 is linked to below.

We wish to highlight four issues as introduction to the report:

1. Extent of illegal bird trapping:
We are sadly unable to report an improvement in the overall illegal bird trapping situation, most particularly in the major trapping hotspot of the Republic of Cyprus, Famagusta District in the south-east of the island. Limesticks were set out in almost every suitable location in the core area between Ayia Napa and Paralimni, while the number of illegal mist nets and electronic decoys were significantly higher than in spring. Due to inadequate response by the law enforcement agencies, and in order to save protected birds – the majority of them not target species for the trappers – CABS teams located, reported and dismantled a total of 3,817 limesticks, 23 mist nets and 32 electronic decoys in open areas only, over a period of just eight days. Subsequently, at the request of the Anti-Poaching Squad and the Game Fund, we provided them with all trapping data collated in our comprehensive data bank, in the form of a complete list and a detailed map, for further investigation and action.

2. Anti-trapping operations by the Cyprus Police and the Game Fund:

The Anti-Poaching Squad of the Cyprus Police and the Game Fund have considerably improved their efforts to combat illegal bird trapping problem. Nevertheless, as our report shows, the by far most damaging trapping effort occurs to the broader area east of Larnaca, which includes the Eastern Sovereign Base Area (ESBA) of Dhekelia that is under British jurisdiction, and the non-occupied area of Famagusta district that is under the jurisdiction of the Republic of Cyprus. The official anti-trapping effort here was proportionally less in comparison to other affected areas. At the time of finalising our report we were in possession of all available official data and operational results of the responsible law enforcement agencies. These data confirm the bias in anti-poaching effort. Is this a reflection of official policy? Do political constraints play a role here? Is the threat of violence a deterrent? As external observers, we are still unable to understand why large-scale anti-trapping operations are not conducted in the major trapping hotspot of Famagusta district.

3. Cooperation with the responsible law enforcement agencies:

Discussions were held with ministerial officials and senior police officers in Nicosia and the Larnaca and Famagusta Districts. Despite a commitment by the Cyprus Police to cooperate with CABS teams in the field, which we sought to reinforce by visits to both responsible Divisional HQs, as well as by daily contact with the Anti-Poaching Squad and local police, support was minimal and reaction times were disappointing. Closer cooperation would have resulted in more prosecutions of poachers and official seizure of trapping equipment, as well as deterring aggression towards our volunteers.

4. Security of bird protection camp participants:

This remains our main cause for concern. Our teams have been forced to avoid particularly dangerous areas, leaving us with the impression that the criminal elements have established ‘no go’ areas for law enforcement to combat illegal bird trapping on Cyprus. The report lists the seven potentially
most dangerous incidents.

We are anxious to redress the deficits exposed by our field report and establish a better basis of operations, communication and cooperation before the CABS spring bird protection camp and for our future anti-bird trapping activities. This is we believe a logical consequence of the ‘Larnaca Declaration’ subscribed to by all attendees at the Council of Europe and Bern Convention ‘European Conference on Illegal Killing of Birds’, held in Larnaca on last July, as well as the Cyprus assumption of the European Union presidency later this year.

We have kept our part of the bargain by keeping our actions within the bounds of the law. We are disappointed however that the Cyprus Police have so far been unable to provide the level of support that would make our field survey more secure and at the same time enhance the prosecution rate of illegal trappers by the Cyprus authorities. We have repeated our request for closer cooperation and support to the Minister of Public Order and Justice and the Chief of Police as follows:

1. The provision of an ‘embedded’ police liaison officer, as is the case during CABS bird protection camps on Malta, or a mobile police patrol in close proximity to CABS daily monitoring areas, to enable a rapid reaction to illegal acts monitored by our teams or to prevent aggression against our volunteers. CABS is prepared to meet any additional personnel and associated costs.

2. The establishment of regular meetings in the field between CABS teams and the Anti-Poaching Squad officers to enable us to brief them with up-to-the minute information on illegal bird trapping activities, in order to secure evidence and apprehend offenders red-handed.

CABS is also taking or considering a number of measures to enable its teams in the field to work effectively and without fear of danger to life and limb:

1. Hiring of Greek-speaking security personnel to accompany CABS teams that work in the more dangerous areas. If the Cyprus Police is unable to guarantee close and timely support, CABS is considering the employment of security officers who speak the local language, have local knowledge (geographical, cultural and social) and who are also trained or experienced in de-escalation of potentially violent situations before the arrival of the police.

2. During the forthcoming bird protection camp, CABS volunteers will be accompanied by an off-duty Wildlife Crime Officer from the United Kingdom, who would also be able to liaise professionally with the Anti-Poaching Squad and Game Fund officers.

3. CABS has also written to the main European Union Embassies of the nations participating in the camp, outlining existing problems and requesting their support on a diplomatic and political level.

We are convinced that close professional cooperation between our organisation and the law enforcement agencies of the Republic of Cyprus will be of long-term benefit to both parties. This has certainly been our experience in other European Union countries.

The next CABS bird protection camp on Cyprus will take place during spring migration from approximately mid-April to the end of the first week of May 2012.

This report has been distributed to the Council of Europe and the Bern Convention Secretariat, the Directorate General for the Environment of the European Commission, the British High Commissioner and the German Ambassador in the Republic of Cyprus, the Minister ofInterior, the Minister of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment and the Environment Commissioner of the Republic of Cyprus; the Chief and the Assistant Chiefs of Support and Operations of the Cyprus Police, the Head of the Anti-Poaching Squad of the Cyprus Police, the Commanders of the regional Police Divisions of Famagusta and Larnaca, the Head of the Game Fund, and the British SBA Administration and Police. It has also been copied to a number of Cypriot and international NGOs as well as individual CABS’ sponsors, supporters and other interested parties.

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