Will forest fires lead to hunting ban in France?
A rapidly growing petition calling for hunting restrictions in France's fire-ravaged forests has attracted more than 380,000 signatures in three weeks, bringing intense scrutiny to the upcoming autumn hunting season as the country grapples with its worst wildfire crisis since World War II.
The petition, which gained most of its support in the past week, seeks a total ban on all hunting activities this season in forest areas affected by the 2026 fires, protection zones around burned areas, and a three-year moratorium in heavily damaged regions including Fontainebleau, the Aude, the Ardèche, and the Var.
Unprecedented wildfire devastation
By late July 2026, over 160,000 hectares had burned across France, making this the largest wildfire year on record for the country and surpassing all previous years. The crisis forced the evacuation of more than 220,000 people from the Gironde region alone, marking the largest single wildfire evacuation France has faced in years.
France's ecology minister Monique Barbut stated that wildlife losses from the fires would be "catastrophic." Ecology experts noted that in hard-hit areas like Le Porge, almost nothing could have survived the intensity of the blazes. The fires generated pyrocumulonimbus effects—fire thunderstorms that created lightning and sparked additional blazes—an extremely rare phenomenon in France previously seen mainly in North America and Australia.
Wildlife rescue centers admitted more than 8,750 animals in June 2026 alone, representing a 30% increase over the previous year, with at least 70% of centers reaching capacity during the crisis. Threatened species particularly vulnerable to the fires include the Western spadefoot toad, listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, and the European pond turtle, which was severely impacted by major fires in the same region in 2022.
Local decision-making authority
Following the petition's surge in popularity, the government quickly announced that decisions on hunting bans would be made at the departmental rather than national level. The office of Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu stated on Friday that the government is authorizing relevant prefects, working closely with departmental hunting federations, to assess necessary adjustments to the hunting schedule on a case-by-case and area-by-area basis.
The ministry for Ecological Transition confirmed that France's Environmental Code permits hunting activities to be suspended following natural disasters, including wildfires, to prevent further damage to affected areas. Authorities are expected to announce any bans in the coming weeks.
The Ligue pour la protection des oiseaux (Bird Protection League) supports the petition, with Director Cédric Marteau telling AFP that bans should be implemented to "allow populations to rebuild."
Hunting federation responds
Willy Schraen, president of the Fédération nationale des chasseurs, which represents approximately 964,000 registered hunters nationwide, believes opponents of hunting are exploiting the "context of misery and intense emotional crisis" to push for bans. However, he acknowledged that hunting restrictions would be necessary in some areas.
"There are plenty of places where there will be no hunting... it isn't just the area that actually burned off that should be closed to the hunting of certain species," Schraen told AFP.
He indicated that species such as wild boar are likely less impacted by the fires, while roe deer populations in affected areas will have suffered significant damage.
The federation remains determined that the start of the hunting season, which typically runs from early September to the last day of February with precise dates varying by department and species, will not be delayed due to the fires.
Broader hunting safety concerns
The debate comes as hunting accidents in France resulted in 11 deaths during the 2024-2025 season, nearly double the six deaths recorded in each of the two previous seasons, according to the French Biodiversity Office. The mayor of Lherm in Haute-Garonne recently banned hunting in 29 hectares of forested land in the commune from January 2028, the first ban of its type in France, following several accidents including an accidental shooting in 2007 and a stray bullet lodging in a commercial building in 2021.
The 2026 wildfire crisis fits within a broader pattern of escalating fire severity across Europe. In 2025, the worst wildfire year on record for Europe prior to 2026, more than 1 million hectares burned across the European Union, well above the 20-year average of approximately 388,000 hectares annually.
Final hunting season dates for 2026-2027 have not yet been finalized but will be available through the hunting federation website once confirmed. Any modifications to the season can be found through the government's website.
