Romania cuts turtle dove hunting to zero days in 2026, one day before the season opens

The 2026 turtle dove hunting season closes exactly one day before it was due to open. The Ministry of the Environment, Waters and Forests published Order no. 1.635/2026 in the Official Gazette of Romania on Friday, and its Article 1 restricts the legal hunting period for the European turtle dove, Streptopelia turtur, to zero days. The hunting rules have already drawn public attention this summer, through the constitutional dispute over the brown bear harvest quotas. In the neighbouring field of recreational fishing, MADR Order no. 260/2026 moves the permit online and introduces the catch record.

The wording chosen by the ministry is unusual. Instead of banning the hunt, the order keeps the legal construction of a „legal hunting period” and gives it the value zero. The practical effect is the same as a ban for the rest of the year, but the legal basis invoked remains Hunting Law no. 407/2006, through Article 6(1)(g) and (4) and Article 26(2), which allow the ministry to shorten the periods rather than to remove a species from the list.

The reason is a European one. The order implements a recommendation of the European Commission concerning Article 5 and Article 7(1) of the Birds Directive and takes over the proposals of the EU Task Force on the Recovery of Birds, which had proposed that the species not be harvested in 2026. The existence of such a task force and the explicit proposal that the species not be harvested show that, at European level, the turtle dove is treated as a species whose numbers need to be rebuilt. Among its recitals, the preamble also cites Article 19(1) of the Hunting Law and Article 37(1) of Government Emergency Ordinance no. 57/2007 on the regime of protected natural areas.

The act was signed on 13 August, on behalf of the minister, by a secretary of state, and published on 14 August, with the season starting on 15 August. The preamble cites the opinion of the National Hunting Council no. 7/2026 and two reports of the Biodiversity Directorate, dated 22 July and 7 August 2026.

What it changes in practice

No hunting permit for the turtle dove may be issued in 2026. This is the concrete prohibition in Article 2, addressed directly to the managers of the hunting grounds. The order stops the issuing of permits, and without a permit hunting the species becomes unlawful under the general regime of Law no. 407/2006.

The measure covers 2026, no more. The text says „in 2026”, that is the rest of the calendar year from the date of publication. For 2027 the situation starts again from scratch and depends on a new order from the ministry, so this order carries no guarantee of continuity.

Enforcement follows a strict calendar. Between 15 August and 30 September 2026, the interval that the order calls the hunting season, the territorial structures of the National Forestry Guard check weekly, and whenever necessary, how the managers comply with the order. After 30 September there is a further checking window, running until 15 October 2026.

The results are centralised and sent up to the ministry. The Forestry Guard must send the central public authority responsible for hunting a report covering the number of checks, the cases of non-compliance, the facts established and the measures taken.

Liability falls on the manager, not only on the hunter. Article 4 links any breach of the order to the liability of the managers of the hunting grounds, under the law and under the clauses of the management contracts in force. The management contract thus becomes an instrument of sanction, alongside ordinary legal liability.

Enforcement works on two levels. Besides the Forestry Guard, checks are also carried out by the specialist staff of the central public authority responsible for hunting.

What has changed compared with the previous situation

Until this order was published, the turtle dove was among the species that could be hunted, during the period set under the general regime of Law no. 407/2006 on hunting and the protection of game stocks. Permits were issued by the managers, within the limits of that period.

From 14 August 2026, that period has the value zero. The difference is not one of nuance: it is not the number of days or the quota that is reduced, it is the very possibility of hunting the species this year that disappears.

The second change concerns supervision. The order does not stop at prohibiting, it also sets up a control mechanism with a fixed, weekly frequency and with centralised reporting. That is a heavier level of scrutiny than is usual for a simple shortening of a period.

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