++ Committee Against Bird Slaughter receives nature conservation award ++ The organisation has been campaigning against bird capturing and poaching since 1975 ++ Migratory birds must be better protected ++
The Committee Against Bird Slaughter has been campaigning against illegal bird hunting for more than 50 years. The local police are also involved in this work; only with their help can poachers be arrested.
© CABS
A particularly insidious method of hunting birds is the use of glue traps. This involves coating twigs or sticks with a sticky substance that traps birds when they land.
© CABS
A committee member frees a female blackcap from a net in Cyprus.
© CABSRadolfzell. On Thursday 15 October, the nature conservation foundation EuroNatur will present this year’s EuroNatur Award to the Committee Against Bird Slaughter. With this award, EuroNatur recognises the committee’s decades-long Europe-wide commitment to the fight against illegal hunting and trapping of wild birds along Europe’s most important migration routes.
The Committee Against Bird Slaughter, based in Bonn, is one of Europe’s most prominent bird conservation organisations. It has played a key role in curbing poaching in numerous countries through international bird conservation camps, documenting illegal activities and working closely with the authorities, thereby saving the lives of millions of migratory birds. Particularly in hotspots for bird hunting in the Mediterranean region, such as Cyprus, Malta and Italy, teams of staff and volunteers have successfully campaigned for many years against illegal trapping methods involving nets, glue traps and other traps.
“The Committee Against Bird Slaughter sets an example not only of practical nature conservation but also of conservation with a direct impact across the whole of Europe,” says Thomas Potthast, President of EuroNatur. “The committee’s members are working with extraordinary perseverance, expertise and personal dedication to protect our migratory birds. Their commitment is a powerful demonstration that nature conservation knows no national borders,” said Potthast. “Their efforts have helped to protect countless birds from illegal hunting, whilst at the same time raising public awareness of the importance of European bird conservation.”
By granting this award, EuroNatur emphasises the vital importance of cross-border efforts to protect Europe’s migratory birds. The award ceremony on 15 October offers an opportunity to highlight the ongoing detrimental effects caused by illegal bird hunting and to thank the many volunteers who, year after year, work to protect Europe’s birdlife.
Background information:
The EuroNatur Award is not endowed. It recognises outstanding achievements in nature conservation. Previous award winners include, amongst others, author Jonathan Franzen, the ‘courageous women of Kruščica’, and the municipality of Mals in South Tyrol. This year’s EuroNatur Award will be presented to the Committee Against Bird Slaughter on Thursday, 15 October 2026 at 5 pm on the island of Mainau on Lake Constance.
Press contact:
Christian Stielow, christian.stielow(at)euronatur.org, Tel.: +49 (0)7732 – 92 72 15