The Civil Association Coendudedicated to the conservation of native species in Uruguay, held a meeting with President Luis Lacalle Pou last Friday to discuss the decree that modified the regulations for sport hunting in Uruguay.
The decree approved on April 26 introduces modifications that enable the practice of sports throughout the country, with the exception of Montevideo, an authorization for night hunting of certain exotic species and the possibility that the permits obtained by hunters be independent of the type of weapon they use. This relaxation is, in the eyes of the organization, “very detrimental to the conservation of native species, the environment in general and other national interests such as rural security and public safety.”
In a statement released by the conservation association, they indicate that they expressed their considerations to the president and “emphasized” that “what is expected of the authorities is better control of the current huntwhich for many represents a danger and threat, and not norms that go in the opposite direction”.
Given their assessments, the statement states, The president “confirmed that the decree came from a group of hunting tourism entrepreneurs with foreigners and that he is convinced that it is good, that it does not promote but regulates and that it formalizes hunting” in Uruguay.
“By not sharing our arguments and concern and in the face of our proposal to repeal the decree and create a commission that analyzes the updating of modern hunting regulations and that involves all the affected sectors, was clear in its intention not to repeal itinviting us to work on a possible modification”.
Coendú indicated that for the organization “it is very difficult to start from the basis of a rule dictated taking into account exclusively the interest of a specific sector and that it will continue to be detrimental to our native fauna and to nature, and therefore to life as a whole ( ours included)”.
As a result of the meeting, the organization announced that it will evaluate the steps to follow regarding the issue.
repercussions
The approval of the decree surprised both coalition and opposition politicians as well as species conservatives.
Carlos María Uriarte, who was Minister of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries from the assumption of the government in March 2020 until his departure in June 2021, was one of the first to speak out against the modification. “Contramano – he summarized in his Twitter account -. Today the world tends to limit sport hunting. It is inadmissible to consider killing animals a sporting activity, unless they are declared pests and therefore there is a reason to do so. We do not share this at all decision”.
Uriarte was joined by white senator Juan Sartori who assured that the changes in the hunting rules should have gone through the Senate’s Environment Commission. “As a member of the commission, I am concerned about the expansion of spaces and their promotion. There are species that are pests, but they are still animals,” he wrote on his Twitter account.
“I need weapons to defend myself against violent human criminals, not to kill defenseless animals,” said Colorado deputy Gustavo Zubía.
The president of the National Association of Hunters of Uruguay, Pablo Borrazas, meanwhile, said that the decree project was drafted by his association and the Profauna organization and was discussed with several ministers and legislators before being approved by the Executive Power, interviewed in the same program.
Meanwhile, the legislator for Cabildo Abierto Eduardo Lust presented this Thursday before the Executive Power a constitutional appeal to revoke the decree. “Today we resort to the decree that changed the regulations on the misnamed ‘hunting sport,’ by which, among others, ‘tourism businessmen’ benefit who bring foreigners to do what they cannot do in their country: ‘kill animals,’ even ‘migratory birds,'” he announced on his social networks.
In the document to which he had access The ObserverLust argues that the change in regulations implies a “regression in the protection of native species” in Uruguay and that, in addition to affecting public safety, “dilutes extremely necessary controls by the competent authority”, in an activity that qualifies as “extremely risky and dangerous”.
Paso Centurion: Protected Area
In addition to the modification regarding the hunting regulations, Coendú raised his concern over “rumors about the reduction of the Protected Area of Paso Centurión and Sierra de Ríos” in the department of Cerro Largo.
The area Paso Centurión and Sierra de Ríos “It is part of the Sierras del Este system and stands out for a diversity of representative environments of Uruguay such as the mountains and ravines, hills, hills and plateaus that give rise to different highly natural plant communities,” according to the ministry’s website. of Environment. These are 25,836 hectares that entered the National System of Protected Areas (SNAP) in 2019 and an adjacent area of 11,415 hectares.
“The president understands that this area is very extensive and affects private interests. It was pointed out to him that, as in all areas, the general interest must be above private interests, to which he replied that it is his duty to seek a balance between the two. We also point out that the world trend is towards public policies to promote biodiversity, which constitutes a great national asset, and that no measures should be taken that affect it,” the statement said.
