Game keeping is the most important factor in protecting wildlife that is a part of our natural heritage and for developing biodiversity. The established absence of substantial game keeping by the State, together with the need to ensure that the environment is protected has prompted Greece’s hunting organizations to recruit wildlife rangers.
Further to the initiative by KSE, the Hunting Organizations have once again helped the state with entirely legal actions. The most significant aspect however is that Greek hunters are protecting the environment with their exclusive resources and expenses by funding the operation of the Game Keeping Brigade.
The presence of Game Keeping funded by Hunting Organizations in the outback since 2000 has in addition to suppressing poaching also performed a very serious preventive task, which is evidenced by the continuous decrease in offenses over the years.
The Game Keeping task is multidimensional, and its basic pillars are:
- It prevents and suppresses poaching by implementing the laws governing hunting activities;
- It actively assists in implementing hunter friendly and habitat improvement projects as well as implementing scientific programmes that are developed by the Greek Hunting Confederation and Hunting Organizations; and
- It provides a volunteer service to the State during the outbreak of bad weather conditions, natural disasters, forest fires, fire protection, etc.
Game keepers operate in accordance with the provisions under article 267 § 3 pursuant to Law 86/69, which gives them the same powers as State Forestry Rangers. It must be strongly emphasized that the recent opinion that was delivered by the Supreme Court Public Prosecutor bearing Protocol No: 5128/10 dated 3-03-2011, clearly stipulates that Hunting Organization Game keepers ““….fully exercise all the rights and duties that are listed in the Forestry Code and in the subsequent amending laws thereto for forestry employees, whose objective is the compliance and enforcement of the regulations governing hunting, and who are for this purpose vested with the authority of a pre-investigative officer. ».
In the ten (10) years that the Game Keeping Brigade has been operating, more than 1,000,000 inspections have been carried out and in excess of 18,000 violations of the Forestry Code have been ascertained, in respect of which all of the procedures provided under the Law have been observed (summonses – seizure of illegal resources, etc.). In this manner it is clearly demonstrated to everyone that the protection of the Environment, by actions and not words, is the work of hunters through the Hunting Organizations.
Our Game Keeping is the cutting edge for Hunting Associations and hunters, who want to disassociate themselves from everything pertaining to the illegal carrying of firearms.
The relevant documents will soon be posted for the following types of activities:
- Legal Framework
- Function – Structure – Staffing
- Further Education & Training Seminars
- Responsibilities - Duties
- Participation in research programmes
- Other activities