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Marrakech, 25 April 2008

The International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC) annually awards outstanding efforts in wildlife conservation and game management that are based on the principles of sustainable use of wildlife.

This year the Edmond Blanc Prize was issued to two winners, the hunting association “La Perdrix” in Morocco and the “Moscow Association of Hunters and Fishers”.

The “National Game Management Database of Hungary” and the “Amministrazione Provinciale of Arezzo”, Italy received Edmond Blanc Diplomas.

Prize Winners

As in previous years, the prestigious Edmond Blanc Prizes were given at the Closing Session of the 55th CIC General Assembly, held on 25 April in Marrakech, Morocco. The jury, chaired by Dr. Nicolas Franco, honoured the hunting association “La Perdrix” for their efforts in game conservation. The Association was established in 1978 and since 1982 it rents from the state a land of 6,000 hectares of Mediterranean forest. Before the association obtained the rental rights, the area had been over-exploited by hunters and poachers coming from the nearby big cities. The Association developed a rigorous game management system, focusing mainly on the Barbary Partridge and the wild boar. The measurements have included improving water supply, management of forest plots and carnivore populations. Thanks to strict hunting regulations, partridge populations have increased significantly. The local communities in the surrounding area are also benefiting: the association employs six full-time gamekeepers and annually provides 1,500-2,000 days of temporary employment.

The Prize was also awarded to the “Moscow Association of Hunters and Fishers”. The Association was incorporated in 1944 and is one of the largest public associations of Russia’s hunters and fishers. The association manages 3 312 thousand hectares of hunting areas, using its own resources and at its own expense. The association unites more than 116 thousand members and employs 570 professionals. The Association is an active participant of the program “Study of the Population of Migrating Birds and Trends of their Changes in Russia”.

Diploma Winners

The National Game Management Database of Hungary is run by the Institute of Wildlife Conservation of the Szt. István University in Gödöllő. The Database provides game management data for regional planning and for strategic decisions such as the quota system. Use of the database has benefitted both the hunters and the public, and improved the acceptance of the sustainable use of wildlife resources by demonstrating the principles of adaptive management.

The Amministrazione Provinciale of Arezzo has succeeded in reaching an optimal selective management of Bovides and Cervides according to the fundamental principles of CIC. The excellent results regarding fauna density and well-balanced culling have helped the establishment of a decent cohabitation between hunters with bloodhounds and selective hunters, offering therefore an example of harmony between different users of wildlife resources.

Photos of the award ceremony are available upon request.