GNR launches Operation Artémis 2026/2027 to tighten hunting enforcement across Portugal

Operation launch and scope

Portugal's Guarda Nacional Republicana (GNR) initiated Operation "Artémis 2026/2027" on Sunday, August 16, 2026, with enforcement running across the entire national territory until February 28, 2027. The operation is coordinated by the Serviço de Proteção da Natureza e do Ambiente (SEPNA), the GNR's nature and environment protection service. It targets the prevention, detection, repression, and investigation of situations that violate legally established rules for hunting activity. The launch coincides with the start of the hunting season in ordered terrains, prompting the GNR to intensify both preventive and reactive enforcement actions on the ground. The GNR stated in a press release sent to newsrooms on Sunday that the operation also aims to contribute to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem balance, and the protection of public health and safety. The force will intensify its presence on the ground through both preventive and reactive enforcement, seeking to ensure compliance with the legal hunting regime and combat infractions likely to endanger people and property or affect wild fauna. Beyond enforcement, the operation includes awareness-raising and cooperation activities with stakeholders connected to hunting.

This operation has as its main objective to guarantee compliance with the legal hunting regime, safeguarding the conservation of biodiversity, the balance of ecosystems, the protection of public health and public safety.

Results from the previous operation

The GNR disclosed results from the preceding operation, "Artémis 2025/2026," which provide a benchmark for the current campaign. During that operation, the GNR inspected 10,751 hunters, detected 136 crimes, and made 133 arrests. Of those arrests, 70 involved hunters operating in non-hunting terrains, conditioned hunting areas without consent, no-hunting zones, or hunting zones to which they had no legal access. A further 32 arrests were made for violations of fauna conservation norms, particularly concerning game species. The GNR highlighted that those 70 hunters were exercising hunting in non-hunting terrains, conditioned hunting areas without the consent of the rightful parties, no-hunting areas, and hunting zones to which they had no legal access.

The operation also produced 345 administrative offenses. In 91 cases, hunters lacked mandatory documentation; 75 fines resulted from weapons transport outside legally prescribed conditions; and 61 cases involved infractions by the management entities of hunting zones. Inspections were distributed across several categories of hunting zones: 4,846 in associative zones, 3,406 in municipal zones, 936 in tourist zones, and 196 in a fourth category not fully specified in the published reports.

Safety recommendations and rules

The GNR issued a set of recommendations to hunters, emphasising compliance with safety distances. Hunters must maintain a minimum distance of 250 metres from dwellings when no consent has been given, and 100 metres from artificial feeding sites. The force also advised hunters to verify beforehand that the hunting zone where they intend to operate meets all applicable legal requirements, particularly when species subject to conditioning are involved. Additionally, the GNR called on hunters to ensure the correct storage and transport of weapons outside of hunting activity. The operation also seeks to guarantee respect for measures protecting and conserving game resources, promoting sustainable hunting management. The GNR stated that it will intensify preventive and reactive enforcement actions, combating infractions that could endanger the safety of people and property or harm wild fauna during hunting.