Member profile: Hunting Federation of Macedonia & Thrace (KOMATH)

The Hunting Federation of Macedonia and Thrace (KOMATH as its sited by the Greek initial letters) is a Legal Person of Private Right of not speculative character, and also a non profit and non-governmental organization that represents 63 Hunting Associations of Northern Greece, with more about 60.000 hunters, as members. It is overseen by the Address of Forests of Region of Central Macedonia, which checks the management of economic resources, that emanates exclusively from the money of hunters members of the Hunting Associations of Macedonia and Thrace. This happens according to the relevant Forest Law (Law 89/1969), where it is clearly reported this special status of the hunting organizations, as a private legal persons, that are supervised by the Public. Even that is an NGO (according to an official law consultation), there is a high state supervision, that secures that all the hunters-members funds are well managed. It was founded in the decade of 1970, with the other six Hunting Federations of Greece, and it institutionally collaborates with the Greek Ministry of Agriculture and the Forest Service. In Greece more than 260 Hunting Associations exist with more than 260.000 hunters-members. They have a 3-level structure, in the first (250 local association), the second (7 Federations) and the third (1 Confederation) degree, that is unique for any stakeholder group of natural resources in Greece. Except of serving the needs of their members, hunting associations are undertaking a lot of initiatives for the conservation of natural environment, mainly for the protection of wildlife species and their habitats. The main objective of the Hunting Federation of Macedonia and Thrace is the protection and sustainable management of natural resources, mainly game resources. For this reason spends, in an annual base, more than 50% of its money for biotopes improvement and wild fauna protection. This is obligatory to happen according to the statute of operation. There is a 7member Headquarter Board that decides the policy and the means of implementation. This Board is directly elected, every two years, by the representatives of all the hunting associations. It must be mentioned that in 1995 the personnel of KOMATH was constituted by a hardly one individual employer, while today occupies 75 individuals personnel and strengthens economically the employment of Game-warden and Foresters in the Hunting Associations. The total of this personnel works for the service of hunting world and for the safeguarding of hunting activity. These 75 persons (foresters, game-biologists, secretaries, game warden, legal consultant, etc) work permanently in the Federation. Also there is a good enough infrastructure, with offices, PCs, more than 75 cars (jeep 4X4), three boats and a good communication network with all hunting Associations. KOMATH is situated in Thessaloniki and has under the monitoring and her guidance the 63 Hunting Associations in her three administrative regions of competence of (Western Macedonia, Central Macedonia and Eastern Macedonia and Thrace). Hunting Federation of Macedonia and Thrace is divided in the following sectors: • General Administration • Scientific Documentation • Communication Office • Game Warden Office   The Main activities of the Federation are briefly the following: • Establishment of the Body of Game Warden • Financial Support to other hunting Associations for undertaking environmental measures • Proposals for sustainable management • Implementation of habitat improvement projects • Game species management techniques • Game species releases • Rearing of Game species • Game species monitoring • Wildlife monitoring • Forest protection • Collaboration with Local Authority Bodies, Local unions, stakeholders • Collaboration with Public services, NGOs, Institutes, Universities • Information to hunters • Public awareness about the importance of biodiversity • Environmental Education projects • Planning of training projects • Participation in local and regional events, seminars, congresses, meetings • Proposals about regional and national wildlife conservation policy • Financial support of several NGOs • Environmental job opportunities • Voluntary participation in resolving environmental problems • Humanitarian aid in social minorities, etc. It must be mentioned that there is no financial support for any of these actions, and everything is covered up to now exclusively with the money of the Greek hunters.