Turtle dove hunting again authorized in France

A decree published in the Official Journal on Friday, August 29, authorizes hunters to kill wood turtle doves after a five-year ban . This authorization follows "the observation of a better state of conservation of the species on the central-western migration route, including France," according to the document.

This migratory bird, which bears the scientific name Streptopelia turtur, and whose population has fallen by 80% in Europe over the last forty years, is the subject of adaptive species management measures in France.

In 2019, a scientific committee recommended no longer hunting turtle doves, or, at worst, killing 1.3% of the estimated population in France, or 18,300 birds. The decree published in the Official Journal of August 29, however, imposes a framework for the resumption of hunting, with a national ceiling and reinforced monitoring obligations. For the 2025-2026 hunting season, the total authorized harvest is set at "10,560 specimens" across the entire metropolitan territory, the decree specifies.

Every hunter must "immediately report any bird harvested" using the ChassAdapt mobile app. Real-time reporting is a legal requirement, and any failure to do so is considered an "offense." According to the decree, the data collected by the National Federation of Hunters (FNC) will be transmitted daily to the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB) and the ministry responsible for hunting.

The system provides for an "immediate halt" to hunting as soon as the national quota is reached. The FNC then blocks declarations on ChassAdapt and alerts departmental federations to inform hunters that any additional catch is illegal.

Nature conservation groups are denouncing the premature return of hunting, while the turtle dove remains classified as a vulnerable species in Europe. The director general of the League for the Protection of Birds (LPO) reacted Saturday morning on France Inter, arguing that "the turtle dove population was recovering" and believing that it was a "shame" to authorize the hunting of a species "which was starting to improve a little."

Cédric Marteau also expressed doubts about the guarantees that hunters could provide regarding compliance with the quota set. "There are 930,000 hunters in France, how can we stop hunting after killing 10,000 birds?" asks the director of the LPO, who is calling on the government to reverse this decision next year.