A3-0154/94

Resolution on the protection of the brown bear (Ursus arctos) in the Community

The European Parliament,

-having regard to the motion for a resolution by Mrs Diez de Rivera Icaza and others on the protection of the brown bear (Ursus arctos) in the Community (B3-0127/93),

-having regard to its resolution of 12 October 1988 on the implementation of the Berne Convention (on the conservation of European wildlife and natural habitats) and the Bonn Convention (on the conservation of migratory species of wild animals) in the Community,

-having regard to its resolution of 16 November 1992 on the Fifth Programme of Policy and Action in relation to the environment and sustainable development,

-having regard to Recommendation No. 10 (9 December 1988) of the Standing Committee of the Berne Convention on the protection of the brown bear (Ursus arctos),

-having regard to its resolution of 17 February 1989 on the protection of brown bears in the European Community,

-having regard to its resolution of 12 June 1992 on the application of the Berne Convention in the European Community,

-having regard to Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora,

-having regard to the recommendations of the IXth International Conference on bear research and management: the protection of small, isolated or low-density bear populations (19-22 October 1992),

-having regard to the Court of Auditors' Special Report No. 3/92 on the environment,

-having regard to the action plan for protected areas in Europe (IUCN, November 1993),

-having regard to the Convention on Biological Diversity signed on 9 June 1992 by the Community and its Member States at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro,

-having regard to Rule 45 of its Rules of Procedure,

-having delegated the power of decision to its Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection pursuant to Rule 52 of its Rules of Procedure,

-having regard to the report of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection (A3-0154/94),

A.whereas the conservation of nature, of its flora and fauna, is one of the key objectives of Community environmental policy and of the Fifth Programme of Action in this area,

B.whereas a number of colonies of brown bears, one of the priority species in the European Union, are becoming extinct,

C.whereas the Council and Commission are partly responsible for this situation in that they support or finance development projects which damage or destroy the habitats which are essential for the survival of the species,

D.whereas the various bodies of the European Union have a duty to contribute to the protection of the last brown bear populations and to allow viable numbers to be re-established,

E.whereas recognition should be made of the efforts being undertaken by some regional and national governments, especially in less-favoured areas, to protect and extend the habitats needed,

F.whereas the extension of habitats and protected areas entails restrictions on agricultural, forestry and tourist activities in many regions, especially less-favoured regions,

1.Asks the Council, the Commission and the Member States not to pursue policies or finance construction work whose effects would further the decline in the number of brown bears until appropriate counteractive measures are taken permanently to protect brown bear habitats. Such measures must be assessed in terms of their impact both on the restoration of habitats and on the numbers of brown bears;

2.Calls on the Council, the Commission and the Member States to mitigate the harmful effects of construction projects completed, under way or planned by financing, in particular, the restoration of brown bear habitats and populations and the establishment of protected areas and corridors between isolated colonies to allow the genetic and social interaction which is essential to the survival of the species;

3.Calls on the Council, the Commission and the Member States to take more vigorous measures to combat the killing and capture of brown bears and to introduce strict and permanent protection arrangements for brown bear habitats;

4.Calls on the Commission and the Council to give financial priority to programmes which indemnify and compensate farmers for damage caused by protected species;

5.Calls on the Council and Commission also to implement these recommendations within the framework of negotiations with countries applying to join the European Union and countries with which cooperation agreements have been concluded;

6.Calls for Community cofinancing to give priority to economic activites which are compatible with the survival and development of wild species, which are a distinctive feature and a valuable resource of the natural and cultural heritage of the areas affected, and for measures and funds to be provided to compensate for the damage and/or restrictions on activities which may be caused by the protection of wild species;

7.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and Commission and the governments of the Member States.