The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has written to the European Commissioner for the Environment asking her to “immediately request that Malta protect the European turtle-dove" and "refrain from opening a spring hunting season in 2023, and in subsequent years”.

IUCN is the global authority that in 2015 downlisted the European turtle-dove’s conservation status to vulnerable to extinction on the Red List of Threatened Species.

It described Malta’s decision to lift the moratorium last year despite the continued decline of the species, and to open a season again this year despite the infringement proceedings initiated by the European Commission as “an alarming development”.

In a statement on Friday, Birdlife published IUCN’s letter (see pdf link below).

The letter, dated April 12, was on Friday presented in court by Birdlife during the hearing on the warrant for prohibitory injunction that was provisionally upheld by Judge Giovanni Grixti.

Following Friday’s hearing, the final decision is to be announced on Monday, the first day of the turtle-dove spring hunting season.

During Friday’s sitting, the judge declined a request by the State Advocate to revoke the prohibitory injunction.