Land management and hunting in Hungary Prof.Dr. Sándor CSÁNYI Department of Wildlife Biology, Szent István University H-2103 Gödöllõ, Hungary www.vvt.gau.hu
European context No uniform EU legislation of hunting/game management Subsidiarity Done in national legislation
Few regulations in nature conservation directives Birds Directive Flora Fauna Habitat Directives
Expectations Wise use of game Æ Sustainable Hunting Initiative Ecologically balanced regulation of populations Monitoring = data-based
Factors influencing hunting law Ecology of species History and traditions What, where, when, and how
Legal system Who and how
Economics Recreation Incomes/costs
International oblications
European diversity Participation, traditions, hunting system German system (AT, BE, DE, NL, LU, SK, CZ, HU, PL, SL Mediterrenean (IT, GR, FR, MT, ES, PT, CY) British (UK, IE) Scandinavian (SE, DK, FI, EE, LV, LT)
General characteristics Game: res nullius Hunting: belongs to lan property Independent hunting law
Hungarian legislation Act LV/1996 on game conservation, management, and hunting Game – state property (res communis) Hunting – belongs to the landed property Very detailed regulation + ministerial decree
Accession: 99.9% conformity, Few harmonization
Game Act, XX/1883 Hunting rights connected to the ownership of land Return to the status before WWII Hunting ground based on own right: >120 ha continuous property, suitable for game management and hunting Fenced property
Small landed properties Local authority lent on auction 6-12 years of lease Debates on damages and fees
Game management as source of incomes Only on large estates Hunting tourism Hard currency incomes
End of WWII – 1996 Status of game and hunting Destroyed game populations Division of large estates – small properties Repartitions
Consequences Game: state property to protect Hunting rights: state to control of hunting Hunting clubs: control of hunter numbers
Purpose: restore game and hunting as a resources management form
End of WWII – 1996 From the 1970s – “Golden age of hunting” 1st Hunting World Expo (1971) Increasing game populations and harvest Increasing hard currency incomes Open Hungary – closed neighbors Success without competitors
Bases Strong control Large management areas Work of club members
1989/1990 Æ 1996 Political changes 1989/1990 Politically motivated ideas/beliefs Over emphasized: incomes and profits of hunting Under emphasized: knowledge, costs, damage and labor Neglected: the effect of hunting area size
Consensus: Hunting rights should return to the landed property Natural resource management, form of land use
Game Act, LV/1996 Hunting rights are the totality of rights and obligations pertaining to the protection of game and its habitat, and game management, furthermore the killing and catching of game living free in the huntingground by the person entitled to it, the collection of cast antlers, and of eggs of winged game which can be hunted, and the appropriation of the carcass of perished game in accordance with this Act.
The hunting rights - as rights representing assets are due, as an inseparable part of the land proprietary rights, to the owner of the area qualifying as a hunting-ground.
Game Act, LV/1996 Independent hunting rights is exclusively owned by a single person including also the State of Hungary - this person shall be entitled to the hunting rights independently (hereinafter: independent hunting rights),
Joint hunting rights is owned by several persons - including also the State of Hungary - the owners of the hunting ground shall be entitled to the hunting rights jointly
Minimum size of hunting-ground An area of land or water surface if its size reaches 3,000 hectares, and the distance between its opposite boundaries is at least three thousand metres, furthermore, where the game finds its necessary feed, the conditions for its natural reproduction, and its natural needs for movement, lair and rest are provided.
The heart of the debates It is too large!!! Is it too large? Why 3000 ha?
Why large or small? Large size is necessary to Manage populations Think in ecological terms and requirements of game To accumulate incomes necessary to cover costs of professional management and achieve profit
Small size is requested to conform to Small landed property size Make hunting available for more pesrons Satisfy activism
Some facts Total income of game management (2004): 15 Billion HUF = 60 Million EUR
Area of Hungary: 93000 km2 = 1613 HUF/ha/year = 6.5 EUR/ha/year The 2004 “profit” was: 146.6 Million HUF = 16 HUF/ha/year = 0.06 EUR/ha/year
When game management and hunting need consideration? Size of hunting ground is large: Large estate Æ state forests or latifundia Joint hunting rights Æ medium sized landed properties, known land-owners
Long term safety of investment Own property 8-10+ years lease of lands
High quality game populations and conditions Red deer, wild boar, roe deer Well paid professionals High quality services
Is there a solution? Large hunting grounds Joint hunting rights medium sized landed properties known land-owners
Long term safety of investment 10-year cycles Interested land-owners
High quality game populations and conditions Small game and big game areas Quality management