International Association for Falconry and the Conservation of Birds of Prey

EU Legislative Interests

Biodiversity and Nature Conservation: EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, EU Nature Restoration Regulation, Birds Directive, Habitats Directive, Bern Convention, and related conservation policies. Hunting, Sustainable Use & Countryside Management: Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) including GAEC standards and agri-environmental measures, EU Forest Strategy, and legislation on access to land and wildlife management. Animal Welfare & Wildlife Management: EU Animal Welfare Strategy, welfare provisions for wild and captive raptors, Companion Animal Lists, and regulation of wild animals in captivity. Wildlife Trade & Crime: CITES implementation in the EU, EU Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking, and measures on enforcement against illegal killing of birds. Traditional Knowledge, Communities & Cultural Heritage: Recognition and safeguarding of falconry as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, minority and traditional community rights in EU policy. Chemicals & Ecosystem Health: Pesticides and insecticide regulation (e.g. Sustainable Use of Pesticides Regulation – SUR), and wider One Health/ecosystem health measures. Broader Environmental & Climate Frameworks: EU Green Deal, EU environmental action programmes, and alignment with international agreements under UNEP, CMS Raptors MoU, and IPBES.

Communication Activities

The IAF engages extensively with EU institutions and international frameworks on biodiversity, sustainable use, animal welfare, and cultural heritage. Standing in international agreements and bodies: IAF is a full Member of IUCN; accredited NGO to UNESCO (Intangible Cultural Heritage – falconry inscription), Bern Convention, Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), CMS Raptors MoU, IPBES, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). We are engage extensively with the EU representatives and delegations in the above mentioned MEAs as well as IUCN and UNESCO. EU-level outreach: IAF regularly contributes to EU legislative and strategic processes, including the Birds Directive, Habitats Directive, EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, Nature Restoration Regulation, Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), animal welfare legislation, pesticide regulation, and EU Green Deal implementation. We have recently participated in European Commission meetings on CITES issues relating to falconry, captive breeding, legal trade in raptors, and enforcement against wildlife crime. In 2023–24, IAF also provided extensive civil society input including the sending of over 900 letters to policymakers and stakeholders to lobby in favour of the Nature Restoration Law, particularly on sustainable use and stakeholder engagement, ensuring that perspectives of hunting and rural communities were considered in the legislative process. Parliamentary engagement: IAF maintains a consistent presence in the European Parliament, attending on average three meetings per month, including the Intergroup on Biodiversity, Hunting, Countryside, MEP Group on Climate Change, Biodiversity and Sustainable Development and follows meetings of the ENVI Committee, and the AGRI Committee. We provide expertise on raptor conservation, hunting sustainability, and the cultural role of traditional communities in biodiversity stewardship. Research and innovation: IAF participates actively in EU funding instruments such as LIFE and Horizon Europe. We have coordinated and contributed to high-quality project proposals, including as Work Package leaders on multi-actor engagement and policy linkages, ensuring civil society and grassroots knowledge contribute directly to EU biodiversity and conservation strategies. Dialogue and partnerships: We engage with DG ENV, DG AGRI, DG CLIMA, and Member State representatives, as well as with partner NGOs such as BirdLife International, CIC, FACE, EBCD and ESUG. Our civic input connects local falconry networks with EU and UN policy frameworks, directly supporting the EU Biodiversity Strategy and the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Role as civil society actor: As an NGO rooted in a UNESCO-recognised cultural heritage, the IAF bridges cultural traditions and biodiversity policy. We provide expert input to international and EU-level debates, support compliance with conservation and welfare standards, and promote policy frameworks that integrate sustainable use, cultural heritage, and biodiversity recovery. Through this outreach, the IAF acts as a respected civil society partner of the EU, ensuring that falconry contributes to conservation goals, animal welfare standards, and the protection of Europe’s natural and cultural heritage.

Interests Represented

Does not represent commercial interests

Member Of

The IAF is a member of the IUCN. It is a signatory to the Memorandum of Understanding on Migratory Raptors. It is an observer at the Bern Convention, the Convention on Migratory Species and CITES, among other organizations. It is an Advisory NGO to the Cultural Division of UNESCO. It is an accredited stakeholder to IPBES. It is an observer to CBD.

Organisation Members

http://iaf.org/members.php