2023-11-10 22:20:00
On February 2, entering “private rural and forest property” can be punished by a fine of up to €750. Knowing that 75% of French forests are private on paper, are we moving towards a privatization of nature?
This measure was supposed to dissuade owners from fencing off their plots of land, in particular to protect the animals there from hunters who would hunt them. The fences can actually put them in danger, block them, injure them.
So, to respond to this problem without angering the owners too much, the centrist deputies said to themselves that it was better to rely on punishment. As a result, those who venture onto private land now risk being fined.
This summer, as reported Reporterre, a marquis was offended by the passage of “surging hordes of disrespectful lawless curious people” and banned entry to his 750 hectares of forest. Too bad, they were in the heart of the Chartreuse massif nature reserve. The event unleashed the left, a petition to denounce his decision collected some 35,000 signatures, and a mobilization brought together a thousand people to protest. Activists highlighted his hypocrisy, claiming that he organized private hunting parties on his land for wealthy foreign clients.
At the same time, the Canopée association highlights “the risk of abuse” and “misuse” of this measure. It is certain that this new provision, based on punishment, gives the police the keys to sanction environmental activists. Which is reminiscent of the recent decision of the Council of State which canceled the dissolution of the “Earth Uprisings”.
The deputy Jérémie Iordanoff insisted on the liberticidal and dangerous aspect of this far which “risks […] to impact all forest users. Barely a few months after its creation, we are already seeing abuse. In the future, there is a good chance that this will strengthen. Landowners will be pushed to prohibit access to their land for insurance reasons or simply to please hunting companies, it is intolerable,” he insisted.
Finally, the left pleads for a better balance between respect for private property and freedom of movement.
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