Workshop for Government Prosecutors on the Illegal Killing, Taking and Trade of Migratory Birds (IKB) in the Mediterranean Region

Illegal killing of birds during migration in countries situated in, or along the coastline of the Mediterranean has emerged as a major environmental concern. Research has estimated the annual toll to be in the order of 25 million birds, threatening some species with extinction and seriously reducing numbers overall.

IKB involves extensive offending against the domestic laws of many Mediterranean countries and international legislation such as the Wildlife Trade (CITES) Regulations. In so far as it is occurring within the EU, it also breaches the obligations of member countries under the Wild Birds Directive (No 2009/147/EC), the longest standing EC environmental directive.

The workshop for Government Prosecutors on the Illegal Killing, Taking and Trade of Migratory Birds in the Mediterranean Region aimed to train prosecutors and investigators of countries in the Mediterranean who have current responsibilities for bird/wildlife enforcement.

The workshop is a joint initiative between the European Network of Prosecutors for the Environment (ENPE) and the Convention on Migratory Species, UNEP/CMS. The workshop was hosted by the ENPE Life Project “Wildlife Crime” Working Group in cooperation with CMS with support of the European Commission at the National Centre for Environmental Education (CENEAM) in Valsaín, Segovia, Spain.

Training Package for Prosecutors in the Mediterranean Region

The Training Package for Prosecutors in the Mediterranean Region, the outcome of the workshop is available below, under "Other Documents". It consists of two PDFs of Powerpoint slides which the ENPE Wildlife Crime Workingthe case studies which provided much of the legal focus at the workshop, or the discussions on various legal topics, are not included in these two sections, only in the full training package. This is because of legal concerns relating to cases which had not reached appeal finality and because of undertakings given to encourage prosecutors to discuss as freely as possible any concerns or queries they had arising from current investigations and prosecutions. The full package is being shared with prosecutors and specialist who attended the training and effoert are being undertaken to achieve a "cascading" of the full training package to the prosecutors, or senior enforcement personnel, within all countries of the Mediterranean region. has extracted from a four-session training package for Prosecutors in the Mediterranean Region on the above subject.  

LIFE 14 GIE/UK/000043

With the contribution of the LIFE financial instrument of the European Community