29.09.2017<\/p>\n
Jean today sent a letter to the UK Minister of State for the Armed Forces asking him to help protect migrating songbirds at risk from illegal trappers on the UK Sovereign Base Area of Dhekelia, Cyprus.<\/p>\n
You can read the full text of her letter below.<\/p>\n
—<\/p>\n
Dear Minister,<\/p>\n
Re: illegal trapping of songbirds on UK Sovereign Base Area, Cyprus<\/p>\n
A number of my constituents in London have written to me as part of a campaign by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds to highlight the illegal trapping and killing of hundreds of thousands of songbirds on the UK Sovereign Base Area of Dhekelia in Cyprus.<\/p>\n
My understanding is that the Sovereign Base Areas Police has been instrumental in securing recent prosecutions for this illegal activity and that British military personnel have helped to clear areas of acacia trees, which are used by trappers to hang \u2018mist nets\u2019, and associated irrigation piping. However, these clearances have not taken place this year \u2013 following a confrontation between trappers and military personnel carrying out this work last autumn.<\/p>\n
I would ask you to resume these clearances immediately. It is estimated that 800,000 migrating songbirds are trapped and killed every year on this Sovereign Base Area alone, including many rare and declining species, and I would urge you to do everything you can to prevent this from happening again in the future.<\/p>\n
Thank you for your kind consideration of this matter; I look forward to your reply.<\/p>\n
Yours sincerely,<\/p>\n
Jean Lambert MEP
\nGreen Party Member of the European Parliament for London<\/p>\n