French conservationists challenge capercaillie reintroduction

Conservation groups in France have filed a court challenge against the government's plans to reintroduce Western Capercaillie to the country, citing unchanged underlying issues behind the species' decline.

Capercaillie hangs on by a thread in France, with a tiny population in the Vosges mountains – in the east of the country near the German border – thought to number as few as 10 individuals. Climate change and increased tourism are the main drivers of the decline, as well as a lack of deer and Wild Boar management.

Last month, the French government approved plans to release 40 capercaillies per year, with the birds coming from Norwegian stock where the population is healthy, at an annual cost of €200,000 over a five-year period.

Western Capercaillie is virtually extinct in France (Marc Fasol).

Capercaillie in France

However, these plans have been met by criticism of French conservation and environmental groups, who collectively state that the factors behind the decline of the chunky gamebird are still prevalent – chiefly a warming climate, a lack of game control and further tourism expansion in the Vosges.

Five NGOs have now filed a court appeal in Nancy stating that the government's plan is a "foreseen environmental and financial catastrophe".

Dominique Humbert, president of SOS Massif des Vosges, said: "While we're obviously not opposed to bringing back the capercaillie, reintroducing a wild species to an area that it recently disappeared from due to habitat degradation poses significant concerns."

Government promises

The NGOs also suggest their thoughts and ideas weren't taken into consideration by the French government, despite promises they would be.

Britain's population of Western Capercaillie is also on the brink. Despite the Cairngorms National Park Authority revealing that a slight increase was noted in the Scottish population last spring, the species is undergoing a rapid decline, with the latest formal survey by the RSPB in 2022 finding only 542 individuals, a severe drop from the 1,114 counted in 2015-2016.