The strategic change announced by the president of the Government of Extremadura, Maria Guardiola, on the hunting use of the Monfragüe national park, which enables population control through hunting and without profit motive, has had an immediate response from the Government of Spain. The acting minister of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, Teresa Riberahas responded in his account Twitter to Guardiola herself reminding her that Current regulations prohibit hunting activity in national parks and that the deadlines for the ban’s entry into force” were approved by Mariano Rajoy while wondering if “I don’t know if it refers to changes in the management plan, which must be compatible with the law and with everyone’s ok (agreement).”
The reply has also reached the minister from the new president of Extremadura: “We have announced that starting in October we will enable hunting activity in Monfragüe. We fulfill our hunters and make a demand come true that the sector had been demanding for a long time.” In addition, it attaches information that explains that the Junta de Extremadura will allow hunting in Monfragüe as a species control measure. The hunts, which have not been done since February 2021, will begin in October, will be without dogs and will be carried out by local hunters, belonging to the municipalities of Monfragüe. With this measure, the regional government intends, says María Guardiola, achieve ecological balanceprevent damage to flora and fauna and protect livestock in the area from species such as wild boar, which can transmit tuberculosis and cause significant public health problems.
This Tuesday, the spokesperson for the Board, Victoria Bazaga, insisted that the use of hunting for population control of species and without commercial purposes in Monfragüe is permitted by the National Parks Law and, therefore, The regional executive does not incur “any illegality” by authorizing hunting activity in this natural enclave.
Since December 2020, under the government of Pedro Sánchez, national parks became land prohibited from hunting, as provided in Law 30/2014 on National Parks, and were prohibited by the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Challenge. Demographic sport fishing, recreational fishing and both sport and commercial hunting.
Bazaga pointed out today that Teresa Ribera, was “badly advised” when this past Monday he warned the Extremaduran government that the legislation prohibits hunting activity in national parks. “Our rules allow us to use hunting when it has no commercial or personal purpose and to avoid major catastrophes, such as the expansion of some of the species,” said the spokesperson for the Board, to insist that in this case “The minister was not well advised and has told what she believed,” defended Bazaga, who added that it is not a practice that is carried out in Extremadura for the first time, while it is used in “other national parks.” “.