The European Court in Luxembourg warned France on Thursday over its failure to protect the threatened Great Hamster of Alsace, the last wild hamster species in Europe.

"/> The European Court in Luxembourg warned France on Thursday over its failure to protect the threatened Great Hamster of Alsace, the last wild hamster species in Europe.

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France in trouble over rare rodent

The European Court in Luxembourg warned France on Thursday over its failure to protect the threatened Great Hamster of Alsace, the last wild hamster species in Europe.

Published: 10 June 2011 09:47 CEST

France in trouble over rare rodent

The Court declared that “the measures put in place by France for the protection of the grand hamster of Alsace have not been sufficient to ensure the protection of the species”. The European Commission had taken the case to Luxembourg in the belief that France has not done enough to protect the breeding grounds and habitat of the furry resident.

The hamster has been a protected species since 1993 and is believed to be one of the most threatened mammals in Europe. According to the Commission, the number of hamsters has fallen from over 1,000 in 2001 to just 174 in 2007. The drop in numbers is blamed on the disappearance of alfalfa, the preferred food of the hamster, and increased building and roads.

A spokesman for the wildlife protection group Sauvegarde Faune Sauvage, Julien Hoffmann told newspaper 20 Minutes that “this decision is a victory for our organisation. A ruling the other way would have been a disaster for the species.” The group has started, since the middle of May, to release around 190 of the hamsters in Alsace and believes numbers have now increased to around 490. Their aim is to increase the population to 1,500

France faces fines if it does not take the necessary steps to stop the decline.

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Hiking in Valencia might be banned.

Barranc de l'Infern in Alicante province. Photo: Diana TV/Flickr

The Valencian region’s Climate Emergency Department is planning to establish several Special Conservation Zones in popular natural spots in the eastern region, where climbing and canyoning will be prohibited and hiking will be limited.

If the new rule comes into force, it will affect a large portion of the province of Alicante, including popular retreats in nature such as the Barranc de l’Infern river and its hiking route, Puigcampana and Ponoig, one of the best-known climbing spots in the region.

So far, the project is just a proposal, but it has already angered mountain-sport lovers and businesses throughout the region.

Canyoning and climbing are considered “incompatible” practices with the preservation of natural habitats, according to the first draft of the new decree.

As well as banning these two popular sports, the new rule proposes that hiking in groups of more than 30 people will have to undergo prior evaluation.

Hiking in Puigcampana, Valencia. Image: NH53 / Flickr

The objective of the Department of Climatic Emergency is to extend this new rule and the creation of the ZECs to all the natural spaces included in the Natura 2000 Network within the Valencian Community.

The regulations of the European Union on these sites imply that they must guarantee the preservation of species of fauna and flora.

For example, in the Special Conservation Zone (known as a ZEC) de la Marina, the decree states that species such as otter, river crab and Cobitis paludica fish will be protected, while the mountains in the centre of Alicante, it’s Bonelli’s eagle, the trumpeter bullfinch and the eagle owl, which must be protected.

However, according to sources of Las Provincias news site, the European legislation does not prohibit climbing, canyoning and hiking from being carried out within them.

The new proposal has taken many groups by surprise as they were not told of the new proposal beforehand, and are unaware of what the economic and social implications will be.

The President of the Federation of Sports in the Mountains and Climbing in the Community (Muntanya i Escalada de la Comunitat) Carlos Ferrís, pointed out that “the preservation of the environment does not have to be incompatible with these sports” and said that the limitations are not justified by any scientific report.

Hiking in Ponoig, Valencia. Image: Lisa Risager / Flickr

Pedro Carrasco, manager of CV Activa, an association that brings together companies who target active tourism agreed, when he told Las Provincias: “They would have to do a detailed study of each and every place to assess the conditions. It cannot be based on intuition alone”.

These rural tourism businesses do however agree that there can be some limitations on the practice of these sports, but that they shouldn’t be prohibited year round.

READ ALSO: REVEALED: The most picturesque day trips in Spain’s Alicante province

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