Prospects for falconry revival in Russia discussed today on KazanSummit 2017

To attract public attention to the issues that exist in the environment protection area and improve the state of the country environmental security, the year 2017 is declared the Year of Ecology in the Russian Federation, within the framework of which measures are planned to restore the population of the Peregrine Falcon. The issue of the need to preserve and restore biodiversity is relevant not only in Russia, but throughout the world. The number of some species of birds on the planet has decreased so much that they are threatened with complete extinction. Today, within the framework of the IX International Economic Summit “Russia-Islamic World: KazanSummit 2017”, a section devoted to reviving the traditions of Russian falconry was held. The participants of the session were Deputy Director of the Department of State Policy and Regulation in the Environment of the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation Rustam Rabadanov, Director of the Federal Ecological and Environmental Monitoring Agency VNII Ecology Sergey Fokin, Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Tatarstan Farid Abdulganiev, Head of the Biodiversity Research Center Alexander Sorokin, President of the NGO “Union of falconry hunters and protecting birds of prey Russian Sokol” Ildar Enaleyev, representatives of Arab countries, and others.

On the meeting it was noted that the poaching led to a decrease in the falcon population in the Russian Federation, especially in Kamchatka. According to Sergei Fokin, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Tatarstan, the organizing nurseries for falconry in the republic is considered. According to him, the revival of falconry is, first of all, an environmental-friendly program. Until the end of the year, it is planned to design two centers for the revival of falconry. One of them may appear in Tatarstan. “Tatarstan has a number of advantages. Firstly, on the territory of the republic there are steppe areas that are adapted for this type of hunting. Secondly, there is already an active population of birds. And, importantly, the activity of the Ministry of Ecology of Tatarstan. Many environmental programs are implemented much faster in Tatarstan than in Russia as a whole. We respect this responsiveness,” concluded Sergei Fokin, director of the “Research institute Ecology” FSBI.

Press Service of MENR of RT