The FKNK and lack of bird science

I would like to thank the FKNK and KSU for proving Andre Raine right in their recent letter to the Times Bird Science And BirdLife, November 8).

In this letter, they were attempting to rebut an earlier communication by Dr Raine, BirdLife Malta's conservation manager, who was making the point that the FKNK do not appear to understand the fundamental concepts of science and conservation. Lo and behold Mr Farrugia and Mr Mifsud Bonnici come out with a sterling letter which proves that they really don't.

I do not believe that the "ignorant and gullible readers", as the FKNK rather rudely persist in calling the public, will actually believe the usual misguided attempts by the hunting lobby to prove their point. However, I feel it is worth highlighting a few key issues that came out in their letter;

1. The European Turtle Dove (Streptopelia turtur) does indeed breed in China, even though the learned Mssrs Farrugia and Mifsud Bonnici appear to think otherwise. It is listed as a breeding species in China on no less than the United Nations Environment Programme website and the IUCN Red Data List. I think I can safely say, I would rather believe UNEP than an organisation such as the FKNK. It follows therefore that Dr Raine can indeed differentiate between a European and a Chinese Turtle Dove, whereas the FKNK and KSU cannot.

2. The fact that they attempt (and fail) to discredit Dr Raine by claiming that the Turtle Dove does not breed in China is besides the point and really goes a long way to show that they just don't get the conservation message behind Dr Raine's original letter. As he stated, the Turtle Doves of China have no relevance to the conservation status of the birds which migrate over Malta. What matters in Malta is the conservation status of the Turtle Dove in Europe. These are the birds that migrate over our fair shores, and not those from Chinese breeding populations.

3. Although both the Turtle Dove and the Common Quail have a global status of least concern, it is a fact that in Europe they are both listed as Species of Conservation Concern. The data shown on the BirdLife International website is there to see for anyone who possesses the ability to read, as is the document created by the European Commission entitled Guidance Document On Hunting Under Council Directive 79/409/EEC On The Conservation Of Wild Birds. Lo and behold both species are listed as Species of Conservation Concern in Europe. Fact.

The FKNK and KSU go further by mentioning finches and how because they are (you guessed it) globally of Least Concern, therefore the trapping of tens of thousands of them in Malta is inconsequential. Once again, statements such as these show that these so-called "conservationists" simply do not understand the point that Dr Raine was making. Is the Linnet a species of Least Concern at a global level? Yes it is. Is it all but extinct in Malta as a breeding species thanks to widespread and rampant trapping? Yes it is.

I leave the reader to consider the case of the Peregrine Falcon, now sadly extinct on our shores thanks to the selfish action of poachers. The last breeding pair was shot at Ta' Ċenċ in the 1880s. At a global level, this species is considered to be of Least Concern. Here it is extinct. Does this mean that just because this species has a global status of least concern we are somehow richer for not having these magnificent birds in our skies? Does this mean that we should not bother to do our utmost to give them a chance to reclaim our cliffs?

The Maltese are not as ignorant and gullible as Mr Farrugia and Mifsud Bonnici wish them to be. It would have been better for them to do something concrete to curb illegal hunting than wasting their energy by writing letters full of scientific inaccuracies to try and convince us amongst other things, that not all protected species shot are rare (as if it makes a difference).