Those are Ten Commitments that the land owner/manager must adhere as Wildlife Estates Charter. This guide outlines ten core commitments a landowner or manager must adhere to, directly aligning with the principles and evaluation criteria of the Wildlife Estates (WE) label. Each action is verified by the WE framework to ensure it reflects what they recommend for exemplary, sustainable land management.
1. The Commitment to a Strategic Vision & Management
WE Principle: Management is planned, documented, and professionally supervised to ensure long-term success.
On-the-Ground Actions:
- Identify a designated manager and supervisor for the estate.
- Develop and follow a long-term, integrated wildlife management plan. The plan should be efficient and its measures implemented to achieve the proposed objectives.
- Maintain detailed records and actively monitor the implementation of the wildlife management plan.
2. The Commitment to Ecological & Economic Balance
WE Principle: Sustainable land use successfully integrates economic activities like forestry and agriculture with the needs of wildlife and the environment.
On-the-Ground Actions:
- Undertake sustainable hunting, stalking, and/or fishing in accordance with the European Charter on Hunting and Biodiversity. This includes performing wildlife censuses to set annual catch quotas.
- When farming, leave unharvested strips at the edges of fields to provide additional food for wild animals.
- In forestry, minimize environmental impacts during operations and leave key biodiversity elements like old dead trees standing.
3. The Commitment to Improving Biodiversity
WE Principle: Landowners should actively work to improve biodiversity whenever possible, with a special focus on species that are favorable to pollinators.
On-the-Ground Actions:
- Create and maintain biodiversity areas such as hedges, field borders, ponds, and uncultivated strips.
- Establish “beetle banks” (ridges covered with natural vegetation between crops) and unsprayed strips at the edge of fields.
- For pollinators, you can delay the mowing of field edges to prolong flowering time and install hives.
4. The Commitment to Habitat Restoration
WE Principle: Effective stewardship involves the active restoration of habitats to improve the property’s capacity to support wildlife.
On-the-Ground Actions:
- Restore bogs and wetlands, if possible, by re-wetting drained areas or blocking ditches.
- Construct and maintain shelters for wildlife, such as brush- and stone walls.
- Place artificial nesting boxes for birds and bats.
5. The Commitment to Providing for Wildlife
WE Principle: An estate must ensure wildlife has access to fundamental resources like food and water, especially during times of natural crisis like heavy snow or drought.
On-the-Ground Actions:
- Ensure a water point (natural or artificial) is available at a minimum density, such as one every 50 hectares.
- In case of extreme weather like heavy snow, provide supplementary feed, clear snow from paths, or fell deciduous trees for forage.
- Create specific game crop fields that are left unharvested.
6. The Commitment to a Balanced Ecosystem
WE Principle: A healthy ecosystem requires a sustainable balance between game and other wildlife and their shared habitats, including a healthy predator-prey dynamic.
On-the-Ground Actions:
- Manage the land to ensure a sufficient biomass of prey species (hares, deer, etc.) to support valuable predators like large birds of prey and wolves.
- Conduct selective control of opportunistic wildlife, such as raccoon dogs or American mink, to protect vulnerable prey species.
- Monitor the fauna-wildlife balance by assessing the diversity of vertebrate species in relation to the number of species hunted.
7. The Commitment to Legal and Regulatory Compliance
WE Principle: All management activities must be in full compliance with relevant national, European, and international laws and codes of practice.
On-the-Ground Actions:
- Ensure full compliance with all legal requirements, including relevant National codes of practice and European Environmental legislation (e.g., Natura 2000).
- Adhere to the requirements of the Agreement between Birdlife International and FACE on Directive 79/409/EEC, the European Charter on Hunting and Biodiversity, and the EU Commission’s Guide on Hunting under the Birds Directive.
8. The Commitment to Cultural Heritage
WE Principle: The estate’s historical and cultural heritage—from buildings to traditions—is a valuable asset that must be conserved.
On-the-Ground Actions:
- Actively conserve the heritage on the property, including ancient buildings, ruins, historic sites, and singular trees.
- Preserve and promote local culture, customs, and popular traditions connected to the estate.
- Restore historical landscape features, such as traditional stone walls.
9. The Commitment to Community Engagement
WE Principle: A modern steward is a role model who actively engages with the local community, raising awareness and sharing knowledge.
On-the-Ground Actions:
- Maintain active engagement with local communities.
- Undertake education and awareness-raising activities, such as organizing “open door” days, guided tours, or educational visits for school children.
- Ensure the estate is featured in publications like journals, books, videos, or websites to share management practices with a wider audience.
10. The Commitment to Continuous Improvement
WE Principle: Achieving the Wildlife Estates label is not the end goal, but part of an ongoing process of improvement and verification.
On-the-Ground Actions:
- After first signing the WE Charter (Level 1), make the required effort to apply for the full Level 2 Accreditation process within two years.
- Once accredited, successfully undergo re-evaluation every five years to maintain the label.