This fall, the One Voice association continues its fierce fight for the protection of mountain galliformes, emblematic birds in danger in the Alps and the Pyrenees (Haute-Garonne and Hautes-Pyrénées).
After several legal actions over the years, the association is once again returning to the forefront of the legal scene. From October 7 to 22, she filed appeals with the administrative courts of Toulouse for Haute-Garonne, Pau for Hautes-Pyrénées, Marseille for the Alps and Montpellier for the Pyrénées-Orientales. His goal? Cancel the decrees authorizing the hunting of gray mountain partridges and rock ptarmigan, two species already greatly threatened.
Species in danger from guns
Populations of mountain galliforms, such as gray partridges and rock ptarmigan, are in severe decline. In addition to suffering the dramatic consequences of the loss of their natural habitat, due in particular to global warming, increasing urbanization and intensive agricultural practices, these birds must also escape the bullets of hunters. “These birds, taking refuge in the heights, are bearing the brunt of the consequences of human activities,” recalls One Voice. “Classified as ‘near threatened’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), their populations continue to collapse. »
For the association, the role of the State in this situation is clear: it supports a “handful of individuals” who, in the name of a destructive leisure activity, continue to hunt these fragile species. Worse still, administrative decisions favor this killing despite the ecological emergency.
The State accused of complicity
According to One Voice, the authorities do not even respect their own regulatory requirements. In 2023, for example, the administration of the Pyrénées-Orientales allowed the elimination of ten gray mountain partridges per hunter, without waiting for the results of the summer counts. Faced with this situation, the association took legal action and won its case, thus saving many birds from certain death.
This year, the scenario is repeating itself: the Ariège prefecture has given the green light for the slaughter of 670 gray partridges and 10 alpine ptarmigan, relying solely on studies carried out by the hunting federation. “They dare to talk about regulation, while their decisions are biased by private interests,” One Voice is indignant. In all, 2,249 birds are in danger in the Pyrenees and 242 in the Alps, alarming figures against which the association has decided to take legal action.
A legal battle on several fronts
From October 7 to 22, the administrative courts of Toulouse, Pau, Marseille and Montpellier will examine the appeals filed by One Voice. The Toulouse court hearing, held on October 7, opened the way for a series of procedures aimed at protecting these species.
In Pau, it is on October 10 that the association will present its arguments against hunting in the Hautes-Pyrénées. Then, on October 15, she will defend the black grouse and bartavel partridges targeted in the Hautes-Alpes before the Marseille court. Finally, on October 22, the Montpellier court will look into the case of the Pyrénées-Orientales, the last bastion of this protection campaign.
A fight for the survival of species
For One Voice, this new legal battle is just another step in its long crusade for the protection of endangered species. The association points out that mountain birds only seek to live in peace, in an environment that is shrinking under the pressure of human activities. By speaking out for them in court, One Voice hopes not only to prevent their massacre, but also to highlight the urgency of the situation. “It is time that the lives of these birds are respected and that their habitats are protected from destructive interests,” concludes the association.
