Five environmental defense associations announced on Saturday that they had filed an interim appeal with the administrative court of Nancy against a project to reintroduce the capercaillie, a bird threatened with extinction, into the Vosges massif.
“Faced with the possibility of an announced environmental and financial catastrophe”
, these associations explain in a press release that they
“decided to file an appeal for summary suspension before the administrative court of Nancy, and at the same time an appeal for suspension of the Capture of capercaillies before the Norwegian authorities
.
“We are not opposed, obviously, to the reintroduction of the capercaillie but we cannot reintroduce a wild animal into a territory from which it has just disappeared for reasons linked to the degradation of this territory
,” explained to AFP Dominique Humbert, president of SOS Massif des Vosges, one of the five associations mobilized.
Seeing this project as a
“communication operation”
, he emphasizes that the causes of the disappearance of the bird are still present, citing
“tourist overcrowding”
,
“climate change”
,
“the dismal management of the game which eats the food natural grouse, blueberries”
, and
“tourist development policies”
.
Annual cost: 200,000 euros
The project to strengthen the capercaillie in the Vosges, to which the Vosges prefecture gave the green light on Tuesday, involves the capture of 40 birds per year over five years in Norway, a country which has 200,000 capercaillie. Costing 200,000 euros per year, the operation is part of the
“capercaillie strengthening strategy”
led by the State and the Ballons des Vosges regional natural park.
This project was the subject of unfavorable opinions issued in February 2023 by the Regional Scientific Council for Natural Heritage (CSRPN) and the National Council for Nature Protection (CNPN). On the basis of these opinions,
“the project has been substantially strengthened”
with
“the support of a dedicated group of scientists”
, assured the prefecture, referring to
“support measures”
such as
“strengthening of signage”
, in order to
“channel attendance”
on the massif and thus improve the tranquility of the place.