The Instituto de Conservação da Natureza e das Floretas (ICNF) has authorised wild boar hunting in tourist hunting areas (ZCT) with less than 400 hectares, and ZCT management entities may change their Planos de Ordenamento e Exploração Cinergética (POEC) for this purpose.
However, the exploitation of a small number of species in these ZCTs leads to over-exploitation of that species or group of species.
As maintained by the ICNF, “in tourist hunting areas with less than 400 hectares, in accordance with Decree-Law no. 202/2004, of August 18, where only one of the species or group of species can be exploited, identified that the wild boar should be included in all “species groups”, taking into account the need to control the population, as well as the conclusions of the Plano Estratégico e de Ação do Javali em Portugal.
Entities which own or manage hunting areas, who are interested in carrying out measures to correct the density of wild boar can request these actions from the ICNF.
ICNF should've used this opportunity to ban hunting of other animals, for example foxes, and therefore concentrate all hunting efforts on the wild boar
By Diogo Albuquerque from Beiras on 18 Feb 2024, 18:48
How do we know where and when this hunting will take place? I've heard a lot of shots lately, on Saturdays, after the finish of normal hunting. These shots come from unfenced land where I should like to walk. There are also obvious hunting groups still setting out en masse. We used to be able to get such information from the freguesia, but they don't seem to know anything anymore.
By Glenis Vowles from Algarve on 19 Feb 2024, 05:41
There are criminal gangs operating in the Tavira and Sao Bras area reported as poaching boar at night.
It is selling at a premium in tourist restaurants. Land owners should show due diligence and report it or they could be liable for any loss or injury caused, as the poachers don't stick around long
By Elizabeth from Algarve on 26 Jun 2024, 12:24