Court Increases Poacher’s Fine to €116,200, with €81,000 for Nature Damage
In February 2024, a young female white-tailed eagle, released six months earlier, was shot by hunters in the French Alps. The shooter, who had initially been ordered to pay over €30,000 in ecological damages in the first trial last year, appealed the decision.
The new judgment, delivered on appeal on May 21, 2025, reassessed the civil penalties imposed on the poacher, now setting the total amount of compensation at €116,200, including €81,000 specifically for ecological damage!
The judges explicitly based their assessment on the methodology presented by LPO, which was adapted from work carried out on Réunion Island.
This judicial recognition strengthens the credibility of scientifically developed tools used to assert, in court, the intrinsic value of biodiversity and the ecosystem services it provides. It also offers hope that future cases involving the destruction of red kites will receive better recognition, similar to this case involving the white-tailed eagle.
Text source: LPO France
The new judgment, delivered on appeal on May 21, 2025, reassessed the civil penalties imposed on the poacher, now setting the total amount of compensation at €116,200, including €81,000 specifically for ecological damage!
The judges explicitly based their assessment on the methodology presented by LPO, which was adapted from work carried out on Réunion Island.
This judicial recognition strengthens the credibility of scientifically developed tools used to assert, in court, the intrinsic value of biodiversity and the ecosystem services it provides. It also offers hope that future cases involving the destruction of red kites will receive better recognition, similar to this case involving the white-tailed eagle.
Text source: LPO France