Preserving falcons in Khakassia: challenges and prospects

Participants of the meeting

A meeting with specialists from the Siberian Environmental Center (Novosibirsk) took place at the conference hall of the Khakassky Reserve’s main building. At the meeting the results of monitoring the birds of prey population in the Altai-Sayan ecoregion were discussed and also a problem of hunting for falcon in Khakassia was touched upon.

Specialists from the Siberian Environmental Center presented results of long-term research on gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus), saker falcon (Falco cherrug), and peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus). These birds are being hunted for in order to sell them abroad. It is worth noting that the research was conducted on the territory of the Khakassky Reserve as well.

Art of falconry—hunting by means of a trained bird of prey, usually falcons—began a very long time ago. The first records of using birds of prey for hunting come from an Assyrian bas-relief with a falconer bearing a hawk on his wrist. Falconry was popular among Mongolian nomads and emperors of Persia, Hindustan, and Middle East. The increasing prevalence of firearms led to a decline in the popularity of falconry, but the sport has endured. Since 1970s the popularity of falconry has revived. As a result, a saker falcon (Falco cherrug) population which migrated to the Arab countries disappeared, and hunters began to catch falcons in places of their nesting. Falcons’ habitat decreased by almost 90 percent, their population decreased by 96 percent. Young female species with monochromatic coloring of the back are in demand of hunters.

A falcon, photo by Marek Szczepanek

Most popular among buyers falcons caught in Khakassia. Percentage of illegal hunting for falcons in the Republic of Khakassia increased over the last few years. State inspectors of the Khakass Reserve, colleagues from other specially protected natural areas, and representatives of Ministry of Internal Affairs have discussed the problem at the meeting and outlined methods of its solving. Sergey Vrublevskiy, lieutenant colonel of a police, shared how legislation is applied in practice.

Special attention the participants paid to changes made in legislation regulating hunting for birds of prey. In particular, the Code of Administrative Offences of the Russian Federation entails administrative responsibility for gaining, collection of, and acquisition of rare species of plants and animals, as well as those under threat of extinction. New amendments to Article 8.35 made in July 2013 entail responsibility for shipment and keeping said animals and plants. In addition, the amount of administrative fine has been doubled.

The participants also discussed the possible ways to improve the situation and in what way decrease of birds of prey population will influence existing ecosystem. The meeting showed that it is important to understand how to conserve falcons in Khakassia.

Participants of the meeting

Firstly, all structures responsible for compliance with environmental protection legislation should combine efforts and take concerted actions not only in protected territories. Secondly, it is necessary to localize places where hunters keep the birds through communication with local population, and gather information about suspicious people who come to Khakassia. Thirdly, the local population should be aware of rare and threatened birds of prey and responsibility for their elimination.

Very often people do not realize that hunting for such birds gradually leads to their extinction. It takes decades to recover the population. So, it is our responsibility to provide safety for birds of prey in our region.

The Khakassky Reserve thanks the Siberian Environmental Center and personally Elvira Nikolenko and Igor Karyakin for their contribution to nature of Siberia conservation and for providing interesting and useful information about birds of prey.

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