The regionalist deputy Guillermo Blanco will present this Monday, June 1, in the Plenary Session of Parliament a motion addressed to the Minister of Rural Development, María Jesús Susinos (PP), to demand the updating of the game species censuses of the Saja Regional Reserve, announced by the minister herself for the month of June and whose results she expects in "October or November", as well as for the hunting quotas and permits to be managed "with more transparency".
The initiative, disseminated through a press release, arises after the cut in chamois and deer hunting permits and the suppression of doe hunts in the reserve, measures adopted by the Ministry and which, in Blanco's opinion, "are not justified with objective and updated data, because they are not based on a recent census", given that the last available one dates from 2017.
The regionalist spokesperson for rural development maintains that these cuts should not have been applied without first carrying out a new population census of the game species, which would have allowed determining if the restrictions were necessary, since "they are causing considerable losses in the affected economies", he pointed out.
In this regard, he recalled that these limitations led the organizing society to suspend the Hunting, Fishing and Agri-food Products Fair, considered one of the most relevant annual events in the Liébana region.
"A decision of this importance cannot be made without having updated data to support it, because it generates uncertainty in the sector and significant losses in the affected municipalities", defended the deputy.
Furthermore, he described as "incomprehensible" that the minister communicated the external contracting of the work to prepare the new census and analyze the situation of the game species "three months after having canceled the hunting permits".
At the same time, he showed his support for the nature agents who, according to the PRC, have questioned the decision to entrust these censuses to a private company "instead of reinforcing the Ministry's own resources and prioritizing the work of these agents, who not only protect the spaces and species, but are also perfectly capable of carrying out censuses".
"As the Association of Environmental Agents of Cantabria, made up of about 150 professionals who work in the Ministry itself, has denounced, it seems that Susinos wants a tailor-made census to justify the decisions he has already made," Blanco stated.
On the other hand, he stressed that it is "crucial" for the town councils, neighborhood boards, and representatives of the hunting sector to be able to consult the technical reports and criteria used to grant licenses, with the aim of ensuring effective channels of participation and listening.
"We regionalists want to guarantee responsible and sustainable wildlife management, giving a voice to those who live and work in the territory," concluded the PRC parliamentarian.