The Ukrainian social media sphere has recently been rocked by a wave of criticism of the new draft law No. 15431 and calls for it to be blocked. Experts, environmentalists and the general public see the initiative put forward by a group of MPs as a systemic threat to Ukraine’s wildlife and a shift in the rules towards greater freedom for hunters. However, a significant section of society supports hunting.
EcoPolitic has compiled the arguments from both sides of what is, for the time being, a virtual conflict.
Controversial provisions
First, a brief overview of Bill No. 15431 ‘On Game Management, Hunting and the Sustainable Use of Game Animals’. It was registered on 20 July and referred to the Committee for consideration on 23 July.
According to the explanatory note, its aim is to ‘update’ outdated regulations, as the current law ‘On Game Management and Hunting’ was adopted in 2000. The authors, led by MP Ihor Marchuk, argue that “hunting grounds cover more than half of Ukraine’s territory, and activities in the field of game management affect the interests of hundreds of thousands of citizens”.
The draft law is intended to resolve inconsistencies with EU legislation, conceptual discrepancies, insufficient penalties for poaching, a lack of transparency in procedures and the “low economic return of the sector”.
However, the environmental protection community has identified several provisions in the draft law that pose a direct threat to biodiversity conservation. Among them are the lack of a ban on the use of modern equipment for killing animals, selective permits for previously prohibited night hunting, and the introduction of the concept of “undesirable” animals that may be taken. There is particular outrage over the introduction of the term “hunting tourism”, which legislators interpret simply as a type of recreational activity. For more details on all the contentious aspects of the document, EcoPolitics previously wrote in this article.
Safari for the wealthy
Critics of the draft law call it inhumane and claim that it makes Ukrainian forests a place of amusement for clients.
“It was written by hunters for themselves. The agency is also being set up for their own benefit,” remark the Association of Animal Protection Organizations of Ukraine.
Relevant experts and organizations share a similar attitude toward this legislative initiative.
“Private gain is justified by public good, but in reality, it’s primarily about the lives of animals. Yet hunting is not ‘recreation’ – it’s simply killing for amusement and profit,” insists the animal rights organization UAnimals.
Це один із найцинічніших та найжорстокіших щодо дикої природи законопроєктів, які коли-небудь з'являлися в Україні. Він – про розстріли тварин із використанням тепловізорів, БПЛА та інших високотехнологічних засобів. Він демонструє крайній ступінь жорстокості до довкілля, що особливо неприпустимо під час війни", – commented the Head of the Scientific Department of Tuzly Lagoons National Nature Park Ivan Rusev on Facebook.The majority of citizens in the comments support a ban on the draft law.
Supporters of Hunting
The main author of the draft law, Ihor Marchuk, sincerely congratulated the entire “hunting, trapping, and veteran communities.” He rather ambitiously calls the document the result of fundamental work and expects that it will go down in history as “one of the deepest reforms of hunting management in the entire period of Ukraine’s independence.”
"Together, we have taken another historic step toward realizing our great shared dream – to reaffirm Ukraine on the world hunting map as a country with exemplary hunting culture, the best practices of sustainable biodiversity management, and responsible use of natural resources," the MP wrote.
Many commentators under the critics' posts still defend this draft law and hunting as such. If we systematize the arguments made by supporters of this kind of “leisure,” they are as follows:
- uncontrolled animal breeding leads to damage to fields, orchards, and gardens;
- supposedly, this practice exists in all countries of the world;
- the killing of animals during hunting is incomparable to their deaths caused by military actions;
- hunting is traditional in Ukraine;
- liability should be established for obstructing hunting.
The arguments are quite contrasting and often excessively manipulative. EcoPolitic will monitor the situation and keep readers informed about the fate of the scandalous draft law.
