Hobby hunters are in free fall in Spain
Although they have long portrayed themselves as an indispensable part of rural Spain and attempts have been made to adapt regulations to their needs, the reality is that there are ever fewer of them. The number of hobby hunters in Spain is already in free fall.
Over the past two decades, the hunting scene in Spain has changed dramatically.
The number of hunting licences issued has fallen by almost 50%, from over one million twenty years ago to 568’000 in 2022.
This decline reflects a shift in attitudes towards hunting and demographic changes, as younger generations grow up in urban environments and show less interest in rural activities. The influence of environmental and animal welfare organisations also plays a role, as they raise awareness of wildlife protection.
Despite the decreasing number of active hunters, the number of animals killed has risen. In 2022, 20 million animals were killed in Spain, including 740’000 large game animals and 19.1 million small game animals.
The average figure indicates that 54’000 animals are killed every day in Spain by hobby hunters, bearing in mind that the hunting season does not cover every day of the calendar year.
Efficient techniques and modern hunting equipment have meant that the remaining hobby hunters operate more effectively. The increase in wild boar killed is particularly striking, as 60% of large game animals that year were wild boar.
At the same time, only a small proportion of hunting licences have been issued to women, and access to land used for hunting is widespread in Spain — 85% of Spain is designated hunting ground.
Although the figures show that there are far fewer hobby hunters than there were a few years ago, their voice and influence continue to find considerable resonance.
An example of the influence of hobby hunters was seen in 2022, when they succeeded — contrary to the criteria of the government's scientific committee — in reversing the classification of the quail as 'endangered'. This would have prevented it from being hunted. In the same year, more than 600’000 quails were killed. The Ministry of Agriculture, at the behest of the hunting lobby, submitted a counter-report, and it was ultimately decided to review the status of the species from scratch. In the meantime, quails can be shot without restrictions.
In this context, hobby hunters have observed the Ministry of Agriculture drawing up a plan to persuade the European Commission to lift the moratorium on hunting the European turtle dove, which was introduced to save the species from accelerating decline.
This is precisely how hobby hunters are destroying biodiversity everywhere.
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