{"id":3336,"date":"2026-02-25T02:59:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T02:59:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/3336\/"},"modified":"2026-02-25T02:59:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T02:59:11","slug":"it-was-urgent-and-necessary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/3336\/","title":{"rendered":"‘It was urgent and necessary’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Conservationists and wildlife advocates are rejoicing over a commitment to a “landmark” policy change in Belgium.<\/p>\n

In late December, Belgium’s Constitutional Court \u2014 the highest court<\/a> in the land \u2014 rejected an appeal to a 2024 law banning “the import of certain hunting trophies,” World Animal News<\/a> reported.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A jubilant January 2024 press release<\/a> from Humane World for Animals announced that Belgium’s Parliament voted unanimously to ban trophy-hunting imports, calling it a “momentous triumph for wildlife conservation and animal welfare.”<\/p>\n

The Library of Congress<\/a> defined trophy hunting as a global, “multinational, multimillion-dollar industry,” one centered around the killing of animals for sport rather than sustenance. As the entry noted, “rare and threatened animals” remained highly prized among trophy hunters.<\/p>\n

In early 2025, a controversy over reindeer trophy hunting<\/a> trips in Norway emerged, with critics emphasizing that reindeer populations were as low as 900 in the area.<\/p>\n

Proponents of trophy hunting have claimed the practice is a boon for conservation, arguing that it funds broader conservation efforts. Animal welfare groups have debunked that claim, asserting that a mere 0.13% of conservation funding<\/a> comes from trophy hunting.<\/p>\n

Trophy hunting has links to the illegal wildlife trafficking<\/a> trade, a multi-billion-dollar global business that threatens ecosystems. Hunting and fishing bans can be controversial<\/a> on occasion, but they’re critical for protecting biodiversity and keeping Earth’s food chain intact.<\/p>\n

Particularly given trophy hunters’ demand for large, rare, or endangered wildlife, targeted bans can make or break ecosystems, as each animal plays a role in maintaining its delicate balance.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Large predators keep prey populations steady, for instance, whereas a sudden decline in an ecosystem’s prey population can be devastating for wildlife further up the food chain.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As World Animal News noted, prior to the ban in Belgium, “hippos, cheetahs, and polar bears” were among at-risk species targeted for trophy imports.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Zakia Khattabi, former minister of climate in Belgium, lauded the decision to uphold the ban and acknowledged the years of effort behind the conservation win.<\/p>\n

“With the approval of my legislative project \u2026 the Parliament is providing a legal basis to the resolution it unanimously adopted on 24 March 2022. It was urgent and necessary to protect these threatened and endangered species,” Khattabi said, per the publication.<\/p>\n

Get TCD’s free newsletters<\/a> for easy tips to save more, waste less, and make smarter choices \u2014 and earn up to $5,000 toward clean upgrades in TCD’s exclusive Rewards Club<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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