Skip to main content

Helsinki, Finland (AFP) – Finland’s top administrative court stepped in on Wednesday to suspend hunting permits against a protected species of eagle on a Finnish island, responding to an appeal lodged by environmental groups.

The Supreme Administrative Court was ruling on an appeal against the decision by the authorities on the demilitarised and autonomous Aland islands to allow the hunting of six white-tailed sea eagles there.

The white-tailed sea eagle is a protected species under EU law.

“Two environmental organisations have appealed the decision of the government of Aland,” the court said in a statement, adding that a final decision on the case would be given after hearing the parties.

The local government on the Aland islands had authorised the killing of the protected birds inside a limited area between May 14 and June 9, to protecting another bird, the endangered duck-like eider.

Hunting permits were regarded as necessary because the eider population nesting there is threatened by the eagle, a local government representative told AFP earlier this week.

But Finland’s director of the international bird organisation BirdLife, Aki Arkiomaa, said Monday BirdLife and a local bird organisation had filed a complaint to the Supreme Administrative Court.

The organisations were asking the court to overrule the decision to issue the hunting licences, Arkiomaa told AFP.

“There is no legal basis in the EU’s Birds Directive to permit the killing of the eagles”, Arkiomaa said.

ank/jj

© Agence France-Presse

Featured image: White-tailed eagle – Haliaeetus albicilla – in Svolvaer, Norway. Credit: Yathin S Krishnappa | CC BY-SA 3.0

Image of the day: Witznitz Solar Park powers Europe’s renewable future
Witznitz Solar Park, satellite imagery - reduce co2 emissions
Image of the day: Witznitz Solar Park powers Europe’s renewable futureNews

Image of the day: Witznitz Solar Park powers Europe’s renewable future

The Witznitz Solar Park, located near Leipzig in eastern Germany, stands as a monumental achievement in Europe’s renewable energy sector. Spanning approximately 500 hectares on…
Muser NewsDeskMuser NewsDeskJanuary 3, 2025 Full article
Conflict, climate threaten fight against diseases: fund
Conflict, climate threaten fight against diseases: fundNews

Conflict, climate threaten fight against diseases: fund

By Christophe VOGT | AFP Geneva, Switzerland - Climate change and conflicts are threatening progress in the fight against infectious diseases like AIDS, tuberculosis and…
SourceSourceSeptember 19, 2024 Full article
U.S. public housing faces greater flood risk due to low-quality construction
Houses flooded, after hurricane
U.S. public housing faces greater flood risk due to low-quality constructionNews

U.S. public housing faces greater flood risk due to low-quality construction

New research shows that lower-quality public housing in the United States is located in areas with high flood risk. AUSTIN, TX, USA – Hurricane Helene…
SourceSourceDecember 9, 2024 Full article