Dispute over shooting

Hunting vs. forestry: shooting orders to protect the forest

Hunters should shoot more game in order to increase the dynamics of regeneration in the forest. There is resistance to this. (symbolic image).(Bild: APA/BARBARA GINDL)

Massive forest damage as a result of fires, snow load and windthrow makes reforestation necessary in many areas of Tyrol. But the young plants are a treat for wild animals. The authorities react harshly. A dispute between hunting and forestry is being fought with a shotgun. "Simply increasing shooting numbers won't solve the problem," says the hunters' association. 

"Up and down the country, the authorities approve exceptions in accordance with §52 of the Tyrolean Hunting Act in order to take action against allegedly excessive game populations," reports Neos MP Birgit Obermüller after numerous discussions with the Tyrolean hunting community, "there has therefore been a kind of state of war between forestry and hunting for years, with the former having the upper hand - to the chagrin of the hunters," as Obermüller knows.