Birds Directive

The Birds Directive (Council Directive 79/409/EEC) is the EU’s oldest piece of nature legislation and one of the most important, creating a far-reaching scheme of protection for all wild bird species naturally occurring in the Union. It was adopted in 1979 in direct response to increasing concern about the declines in Europe's wild bird populations resulting from pollution, loss of habitats as well as unsustainable use. It was also in recognition that international co-operation was required for effective conservation of migrating wild birds.

It proposes that habitat loss and degradation are the most serious threats to the conservation of wild birds. It places great emphasis on the protection of habitats for endangered as well as migratory species especially through the establishment of a coherent network of SPAs comprising all the most suitable territories for these species.

The Birds Directive bans activities that directly threaten birds like,

• Deliberate killing or capture of birds
• Destruction of their nests
• Taking of their eggs
• Trading in live or dead birds, with some exceptions.

The Directive does recognise hunting as a legitimate activity and provides a comprehensive system for the management of hunting to ensure that this practice is sustainable. This includes a requirement to ensure that birds are not hunted during the periods of their greatest vulnerability, such as the return migration to the nesting areas, reproduction and the raising of chicks.