Belgian Birds Killed at Border: 1,000+ Mobilize to End Hunt

More than 1,000 people have answered a citizen consultation launched by eight Belgian and French conservation associations, demanding an end to the hunting of birds at the Marais d’Harchies nature reserve in Hainaut, Belgium. The core issue: hundreds of protected birds that spend the day in the Belgian reserve are shot down each August as they cross into France at dusk, where hunters use bait, decoys, and caged birds to attract them across the border. The associations are calling on the Prefect of the French Nord department to ban all bird hunting within a 1,500-meter radius of the reserve in the 2026-2027 hunting decree, which is expected in June.

A Sanctuary Betrayed by Geography

The Marais d’Harchies is a 550-hectare wetland complex straddling the Franco-Belgian border near Bernissart. On the Belgian side, it is a strictly protected nature reserve — a Special Protection Zone under the EU’s Natura 2000 network, a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention, and co-owned by Natagora and the Walloon Region’s Department of Nature and Forests. The Walloon Region invested €1.4 million in restoration between 2022 and 2024, and the EU has allocated several million euros through the LIFE Vallée Atlantique program.

On the French side, however, the story is starkly different. The Étang de la Canarderie and surrounding ponds near Condé-sur-Escaut and Saint-Aybert are managed as hunting zones. According to RTBF, hunters use baiting (illegal under French law), decoys, and caged calling birds to attract the waterfowl as they cross the border at dusk to feed.

The Scale of the Kill

The numbers are staggering. On August 21, 2025, volunteer observers counted approximately 560 ducks — mallards and wigeons — crossing the border. They recorded 1,375 gunshots in one hour. The next day, only 68 birds remained. The Royal Belgian League for the Protection of Birds (LRBPO) reports that up to 500 birds are killed in a single night, representing as much as 40% of the local waterfowl population.

As DHnet/Les Sports+ reported, Jean-François Buslain, Director of the LRBPO, called the situation “a true ecological scandal.” He noted that beyond the hundreds of birds massacred at the border, thousands more have their behavior disrupted by hunting activities, impacting their chances of survival during migration.

Legal Action on Multiple Fronts

The LRBPO has already filed a complaint with the European Commission for violation of the EU Birds Directive (2009/147/CE) and the Habitats Directive. It has also seized the Belgian representation of the Ramsar Convention. The legal strategy is multi-pronged, targeting violations of international, European, and French law.

Sophie Installe, lawyer for the LRBPO, explained to RTBF that the hunting decree will be published in June. “We will have two months from publication to contest it and seek its annulment, but prioritizing dialogue initially,” she said. “We will request a meeting with the Prefect.” If dialogue fails, Installe indicated the association could file an appeal for abuse of power before the Administrative Tribunal of Lille or pursue action for violation of the Nord departmental hunting management plan.

A 70-Year-Old Conflict

Alain Malengreau, a volunteer ornithologist at Natagora, has witnessed this conflict for more than 70 years. As DHnet/Les Sports+ reported, Malengreau stated: “Faced with the increasing constraints birds must endure, saying nothing, doing nothing, is accepting this outdated hunting for the pleasure of a few.”

Previous attempts at resolution have had limited success. Former Walloon Environment Minister Céline Tellier met with the Prefect of Nord multiple times between 2021 and 2024. While Condé-sur-Escaut began using preemption rights to buy and dismantle hunting huts when land came up for sale, Saint-Aybert took no action.

What Comes Next

The Prefect’s hunting decree for 2026-2027, expected in June, will be a critical test. If it includes the 1,500-meter exclusion zone demanded by the associations, it would mark a major victory for conservation. If not, legal battles at the European Commission, the Ramsar Convention, and French administrative courts will follow.

The LRBPO’s detailed legal analysis, published on its website, argues that the situation violates multiple legal frameworks, including the principle that a state cannot use its territory in a way that causes damage to another state — a principle established by the International Court of Justice in the Corfu Channel case.

This case could set a significant precedent for cross-border wildlife protection disputes within the EU, testing the enforcement mechanisms of the Birds and Habitats Directives. For now, the thousands of citizens who have mobilized are watching closely, hoping that this time, the sound of gunfire will be replaced by the quiet of a sanctuary restored.