Suche
Mein Konto
Court stops beaver shooting: Success for BUND Nature Conservation in Oberallgäu!
The urgent application by BUND Nature Conservation against the shooting of beavers in the Oberallgäu was successful; the court annuls the general order.
Court stops beaver shooting: Success for BUND Nature Conservation in Oberallgäu!
In Oberallgäu there is currently excitement surrounding the beaver population in the district. An urgent application by BUND Nature Conservation (BN) against the general decree of the Oberallgäu district, which regulates the shooting of beavers, was successful. Again Circle Messenger reported, the Augsburg Administrative Court granted the urgent application and suspended the execution of the order before the end of the closed period on September 1st. This means that no shooting of beavers is permitted until then.
The court based its decision on the vagueness of the general decree. It was found that the Oberallgäu district office did not present sufficient alternatives and preventative measures to specifically assess the impact on the beaver population. It is criticized that the district office has “reversed the rule-exception relationship” and made shooting the norm instead of finding constructive solutions.
Beaver under pressure
The problem is not new. In the years 2021 to 2023, a total of 107 beavers were killed in the Oberallgäu district, with individual shooting previously considered common practice when no other solutions were possible. Dr. Christine Margraf, species protection officer at the BN, supports this approach. However, she also sees preventive protection without shooting as a more viable solution to conflict. The chairman of the BN Kempten-Oberallgäu district group, Martin Simon, has already made suggestions, such as protecting railway embankments with wire mesh in order to bring beavers and humans into harmony.
The beaver is considered a native of the Allgäu and plays an important role in the ecosystem, for example by promoting flood protection and biodiversity. According to estimates, around 25,000 beavers lived in around 7,500 territories in Bavaria. In 2023, 2,655 beavers were shot across Bavaria, which raises questions about the sustainability of these measures.
Legal basis required
The BN criticizes the fact that the district's general decree exceeds the legal framework of the Free State of Bavaria and European species protection law. As in the report of BUND Nature Conservation As explained, the association plans to take legal action against the immediate enforcement of the district office and would like to clarify its own position in a press conference.
District Administrator Indra Baier-Müller also recognized that clear legal foundations are necessary for proactive beaver management. In a letter to the Bavarian State Minister Thorsten Glauber, she called for the concerns of nature conservation and agricultural interests to be taken into account in a balanced manner.
The discussion about how to deal with beavers shows once again that it is important to find pragmatic and environmentally friendly solutions. The focus should be on protecting the beavers and at the same time maintaining the quality of life for the people in Oberallgäu.