Capercaillie and Rock Ptarmigan gain fully protected status in France

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Good news for our mountain biodiversity!
The Capercaillie and the Rock Ptarmigan are now officially protected in France.
These two emblematic birds are endangered: the capercaillie has lost nearly 80% of its population in the Pyrenees since 1960, while the ptarmigan, a survivor of the ice age, sees its habitat nibbled away at every year by climate change.
Monique Barbut said: "Protecting is not just about banning hunting, it is also about restoring everything that allows a species to live and reproduce sustainably. Protecting our biodiversity means preserving an exceptional natural heritage, but it also means protecting the ecosystems of which we are a part and on which we depend for our livelihood. »
An important step for the preservation of our mountain biodiversity.

Rock Ptarmigan

Capercaillie

The Capercaillie is classified as vulnerable on the red list of breeding birds in France (populations of the Urogallus subspecies present in the Vosges, Jura, and Cévennes are even classified as endangered). There are only 4,500 individuals left in France, 90% of which are concentrated in the Pyrenees. It is also protected in Europe (Annex I of the Birds Directive).

As for the Rock Ptarmigan, it is classified as near threatened on the red list (French population estimated at 10,000 - 26,000 individuals), with many threats to the species (global warming, tourism development in the mountains).
This was the first step to be taken to be able to properly take these species into account in administrative procedures and to initiate conservation measures.

Perhaps, not surprisingly, there has been a negative reaction from some hunting groups.

Chris 



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