Ecobreves – GUATEMALA: New Hunting Calendar

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

GUATEMALA CITY, Mar 11 2006 (IPS) - Guatemala's National Council for Protected Areas (CONAP) has published the country's hunting schedule, with lists of the species that can be hunted legally, which ones are prohibited, and the quota per hunter. This initiative “modernizes the 1970 Hunting Act,” explained Franklin Herrera, head of the wildlife unit at CONAP.

“The dates published correspond to the period that ensures the survival of each species, so there won't be any negative impact on the country's fauna,” the biologist told Tierramérica.

The calendar begins in March and runs through February 2007. Anyone who violates the country's hunting regulations can be fined or spend up to five years behind bars.

Among the protected species are the jaguar (Panthera onca), spider monkey (Ateles hybridus), the keel-billed toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus), and all varieties of parrots, parakeets and macaws.