UNESCO Living Heritage Consultation: The Art and Practice of Falconry
UNESCO Living Heritage Consultation – The Art and Practice of Falconry
The British Falconers’ Club (BFC) is publishing the draft text of its submission relating to The Art and Practice of Falconry as part of a formal consultation with the community it represents.
UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage framework (often referred to as “Living Heritage”) exists to safeguard traditions, knowledge and skills that communities actively practise today and pass on to future generations. A central requirement of this process is meaningful consultation and informed participation from practitioners themselves.
This page has therefore been created to ensure that the submission accurately reflects the lived experience of UK falconers and the safeguarding work already undertaken within the community.
Purpose of this page
- To publish the draft submission text in full
- To provide transparency about the content being submitted
- To invite feedback from members and practitioners
- To strengthen the final submission through community input
The submission follows the approach taken by other falconry nations already recognised within the UNESCO framework and seeks to ensure that UK falconry is appropriately represented alongside international practice.
How you can contribute
Members are encouraged to read the draft carefully and provide:
- Factual corrections or clarifications
- Suggestions that better reflect how falconry is practised in the UK today
- Additional points regarding safeguarding, mentorship, transmission, education or public engagement
When providing feedback, please reference the relevant section number (for example, “Section 5 – Practice and practitioners”) and quote the sentence or paragraph you are responding to.
The submission text below is presented verbatim to preserve accuracy. Personal contact details have been removed from this public version for privacy reasons.
1. Short description
Please describe your element as if a friend / family member with no prior knowledge of the element asked you to tell them about it.
Falconry, defined as the traditional art of hunting quarry in its natural state and habitat by means of trained hawks, is essentially the art of engaging in the natural life of a bird of prey as an active participant, through a unique bond between an innately wild creature and man.
2. Please tell us more information about your element
Please include details about: Who the community of practice is (including active participants and knowledge bearers, and/or your audience, if relevant); Where it takes place (including any connections to other parts of the UK or internationally); How often your element is practised; Any associated objects such as the tools, instruments, costumes, materials or products; and If there are any commercial activities relating to your element - how do they benefit the community. Please note, brand names or trademarks should not be included unless they are part of the title of the living heritage.
The falconry community is made up of a wide array of ages and backgrounds, with the largest single group being the British Falconers’ Club (700+ members). The knowledge bearers, experienced falconers, are the beneficiaries of countless generations of accumulated knowledge, and are responsible for passing it along to the next generation. The type of falconry and bird flown are defined by the landscape and the quarry available, and may range from falcons or eagles flown over more expansive areas, to hawks or buteos flown in more enclosed countryside. Most areas of the UK can and do accommodate falconry in one form or another. Falconry is practiced internationally today in up to eighty countries and the cultural significance of the practice is reflected in the submissions of the 24 countries already inscribed by UNESCO. Using much the same equipment that has been used for centuries, as well as more recently introduced technology that compliments it, British falconers are able to fly raptors (almost exclusively domestically bred, rather than taken from the wild nowadays) as they have for more than 1000 years. Every element required to enable sustainable falconry can be produced by the individual practitioner, or is available commercially if required.
3. Do you consider the element to be endangered, e.g. likely to die out?
Select one option:
4. Please outline information relating to your element's safeguarding
Please include details about: The history of how long it has been practised and how it has been passed on to now. How it is currently passed on and if there are any risks to it.
Falconry can be traced back more than 4000 years, and arrived in England by at least 750 AD. Perhaps originally a means of procuring food, it became an art form significant enough to be understood by all (Shakespeare’s works for example contain numerous references to falconry). Today’s falconers have benefited from an array of falconry literature, and through personal connections from within the British falconry community, as well as falconers from other countries, including Arabia, the Indian subcontinent, Europe (particularly France and the Netherlands), and more recently the US. Often described as "the sport of kings", it has always been open to all, and the hawks themselves make no distinction based on wealth or status; what truly matters is dedication and commitment to the art. Falconry is not easily or quickly learned. Those who wish to pursue it must demonstrate the required dedication and commitment, and for many it becomes a life changing journey of passion and discovery. Books and the internet can provide foundational knowledge, but the value of a mentor cannot be overstated, without whom our cultural heritage would be lost. The most significant threat to falconry is the increasing disconnection between people and the natural environment.
5. Please outline how you have gathered free, prior and informed consent from the community in more detail
Please explain how the practising community has consented to your element of living heritage being submitted to the inventories. Please include details about: How you have engaged the community of your element in the submission process; Whether there are any concerns amongst the community(ies) in submitting your element to the inventory(ies).
The English falconry community is composed of several clubs, of which the British Falconers Club is by far the largest, with over 700 members. It communicates with its members via email, a very active Facebook page, and a dedicated website. It has thirteen regional groups, each with a regional representative who transmit information back and forth to a national council. Each regional group hold regular in person meetings. There are also regional and national WhatsApp and Facebook pages. The BFC is also the largest element of the Hawk Board and liaises with all the representative stakeholders on that board. Free Prior and Informed consent has been achieved through our membership and the wider falconry community being communicated with and informed since our government announced its intention to embrace the Living Heritage and UNESCO listing. The Director and President have circulated the draft submission, through those various medias and through our national council via regional reps, to all grass route members, requesting feedback and constructive amendments. This feedback has been taken on board and modifications made. The falconry fraternity prides itself on being active practitioners and knowledge bearers for the younger generation to develop and refine their own knowledge and skills.
6. Is there any additional information you would like to provide?
Falconry is unique amongst fieldsports in today's world, and enjoys public support in a way that no other does. Falconers have emerged from less enlightened times to now be considered important not just in their own right, but as important partners in the world of conservation, history and heritage. Falconers have proven to be valuable environmental watchdogs, with a special expertise and passion for raptors. Jointly responsible for the early detection of environmental threats such as DDT, and for the reintroduction of raptor species that have been decimated by such threats. Falconry is an ancient but still relevant art.