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France wildlife management and hunting policy tensions

Updated 7 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

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2026-09-01 09:25 UTC → 2026-09-19 05:20 UTC · added removed

In July 2026, the French government drafted a revision of the 1986 hunting decree to allow battue hunting of chamois, isard, and mouflon. This included a plan for the Doubs department to harvest up to 330 chamois between September 2026 and January 2027. The conservation group Aspas denounced the proposal as “a scandalous ecological and ethical affront,” calling for an end to recreational chamois hunting and summer red-deer culls. Simultaneously, agricultural tensions rose in the Cher department, where a 47% increase in wild-boar crop damage was recorded by June 30, 2026. By late July and August, environmental groups intensified demands for hunting suspensions due to climate-driven disasters, including forest fires and severe drought. The LPO and the ministry of ecological transition urged a pause to allow habitat recovery. The LPO requested postponing the August 21 waterfowl hunting season, noting that intense drought left roughly 43% of watercourses dry. On August 21, waterfowl hunting officially commenced despite these concerns, sparking cross-border tensions at the Harchies Marshes regarding French hunting methods and species limits compared to Belgium. In response to the drought, some hunters in Carentan opted not to hunt during the waterfowl season as a gesture of solidarity with the ecosystem. Meanwhile, in Sarrebourg, hunting groups argued that regulating game populations is essential to preserve natural habitats. Additionally, activists from the Association for Savoyard Animal Justice (AJAS) have launched a campaign for a nationwide ban on Alpine marmot hunting, citing climate-driven population declines in the Alps. They are seeking a ban similar to the one implemented in Italy in 1992. Marshes. By late August, legal challenges emerged regarding a renewed ministerial decree classifying nine species—including foxes, martens, and various corvids—as “species likely to cause damage” (ESOD). This classification permits culling without quotas or seasonal restrictions. In mid-September 2026, the hunting season opened across 45 departments, including much of the Occitanie region. Willy Schraen, president of the National Federation of Hunters (FNC), called for hunters to remain “proud, responsible, and calm” in the face of social tensions and calls to physically prevent the season's opening. As the general season opening approached on September 20, regional federations reported mixed wildlife trends: while pheasant and hare populations appear positive, the grey partridge remains fragile. In the Vosges, despite summer drought, roe deer and cervid populations remain stable, though rising wild boar numbers continue to be a primary concern for agricultural management.

Versions

  1. 2026-09-19 05:20 UTC France wildlife management and hunting policy tensions
  2. 2026-09-01 09:25 UTC France wildlife management and hunting policy tensions
  3. 2026-08-28 04:42 UTC France wildlife management and hunting policy tensions
  4. 2026-08-22 19:12 UTC France wildlife management and hunting policy tensions
  5. 2026-08-22 07:52 UTC France wildlife management and hunting policy tensions
  6. 2026-08-21 18:21 UTC France wildlife management and hunting policy tensions
  7. 2026-08-18 05:12 UTC France wildlife management and hunting policy tensions
  8. 2026-07-31 16:50 UTC France wildlife management controversy

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