Serious emergency
Consorzio di Bonifica Alta Pianura Veneta and the Consorzio di Bonifica Veronese have signed an experimental agreement with the Veneto Region within the framework of the Regional plan for the control of nutria (DGR 1069/2021, DGR 476/2025), with funding of €97.000 and €175.589 respectively, to systematically and coordinatedly address the serious emergency represented by the spread of this invasive rodent, which is threatening the integrity of the water network and the safety of the Verona area.
The damage caused by the species
The coypu, native to South America, has now become firmly established in the Verona plain, finding an ideal habitat in the extensive network of canals. Its uncontrolled proliferation is causing increasingly serious and widespread damage: burrows dug into embankments and banks weaken structures, promote landslides, subsidence, and collapse, and increase the risk of flooding. In addition to the hydraulic hazard, coypus compromise the functioning of irrigation systems, impede drainage, damage crops, and alter the balance of the local ecosystem. To counter this threat, the agreement identifies the two Land Reclamation Consortia as the implementing bodies of the Regional Plan, recognizing their detailed knowledge of the hydrographic network and the technical organization necessary to coordinate operations on a large scale. The Consortia have already begun mapping the most exposed areas, identifying the sections of the hydraulic and irrigation network at greatest risk and with the highest density of coypus, where actions will be prioritized.
The intervention of the selectors
The activity will be structured on two complementary fronts: targeted field operations, conducted in compliance with current regulations, and an intensive capture campaign using cage traps purchased by the Consortium and distributed to the Territorial Hunting Areas (ATCs). Trapping will be prioritized in urban and suburban areas where the use of weapons is prohibited. The ATCs, which have been specifically contracted for this purpose, will coordinate qualified and insured selective inspectors, working in synergy with the Verona Provincial Police Force, which will ensure surveillance. The operations will be carried out by volunteer selective inspectors registered with the ATCs, who will receive reimbursement for each animal killed and delivered to the collection centers, according to the terms established by the agreement with the Veneto Region.
Activity monitoring
To ensure traceability and transparency, the two Land Reclamation Consortia have also implemented a digital online reporting system: through a dedicated form, the managers of the various ATCs enter data for each operation in real time, indicating the number of animals culled, the precise locations, and the affected hydraulic area. This tool allows the Consortia to accurately monitor the progress of their activities and to report reliable, complete, and georeferenced data to the Region. Each operation must be notified in advance to the Provincial Police and carried out according to safety protocols: operators will collect the culled animals in special plastic containers authorized by the Local Health Authority and deliver them to the storage sites set up by the two Consortia, equipped with dedicated freezers. The Consortia will also manage the logistics of carcass disposal and monitor the affected areas with interim and final reports accompanied by maps.
Not just wildlife control
Alex Vantini, President of the Veronese Land Reclamation Consortium, states: "The fight against coypu is not just a wildlife control operation: it is a true civil protection effort. The massive presence of these animals is eroding riverbanks and hydraulic structures, endangering the safety of thousands of residents and the agricultural businesses that depend on the irrigation network. We have wholeheartedly responded to the appeal of the Region and the local area, and we assume the responsibility of coordinating a structured, widespread, and ongoing intervention, built on collaboration with the ATCs, municipalities, and all local stakeholders. Only concerted action can halt this environmental emergency and secure the area." Luca Antonini, General Manager of the Veronese Land Reclamation Consortium, adds: "We have already identified the priority areas for intervention and also implemented a digital data collection system that guarantees accuracy and timeliness. The teams will operate throughout the consortium territory according to a planned and coordinated schedule, with the obligation to notify the supervisory authorities and deliver the animals to the collection points. Every phase—from capture to disposal—will be documented and tracked. This ensures operational safety, administrative transparency, and speed of execution.
Technical rigor and transparency
Claudio Zambon, President of the Alta Pianura Veneta Land Reclamation Consortium, explains: "As a farmer and as President of the Alta Pianura Veneta Consortium, I know how the spread of coypu is challenging both agricultural activities and overall water safety. The burrows dug into the banks threaten the fields, but also the integrity of the hydraulic structures that protect citizens and residential areas. With this plan, we want to provide a concrete response to the entire community, building a concerted effort to protect agriculture and land safety." Helga Fazion, General Manager of the Alta Pianura Veneta Consortium, concludes with a clear statement: "Our intervention plan was designed with technical rigor and maximum transparency: mapping of the most at-risk areas, operational coordination with the ATC and Provincial Police, and digital reporting of activities. This way, we can operate safely, ensuring traceability and rapidity of interventions and restoring the efficiency of the consortium's water network."
Water network
With this initiative, which will be concluded by December 2025, the Veronese Land Reclamation Consortium and the Alta Pianura Veneta Land Reclamation Consortium are positioning themselves as active and responsible providers of water safety and land conservation, effectively implementing the Regional Plan and restoring efficiency and safety to a water network essential to the economy and life of the province of Verona. The press conference held on Monday, October 6, in the conference room of the Legnago Environmental Archaeological Center was attended by institutional figures who, along with the two Land Reclamation Consortia, are involved in various capacities in the management and development of this project, from municipal administrators to the Provincial Police, the Local Health Authority veterinary service, and agricultural trade associations.
Coypu in Veneto
Ivano Confortini, of the Veneto Region's wildlife protection service, explained that "the coypu population in the province of Verona is currently particularly abundant and difficult to quantify precisely, but estimates speak of at least 200.000 individuals distributed across an area characterized by an extremely complex hydrographic network, approximately 4.500 kilometers long. This complexity facilitates the animals' movements and therefore makes the containment of the species more difficult. To achieve concrete results, a much more incisive cull is needed than the current 30-35.000 annual culls, reaching at least 100-150.000 individuals. The goal of the new control plan is precisely to make the action more effective, modifying the previous approach and broadening participation. In addition to hunters and the provincial police, the project also involves land reclamation consortia and municipalities, called upon to collaborate towards shared and coordinated management. Only a joint effort can guarantee a significant reduction in the presence of coypu and a better environmental balance on the planet." Verona territory.” Closing the press conference were Vicenza Province Vice President Moreno Marsetti and Verona Province President Flavio Massimo Passini, who emphasized the importance of this project for the hydraulic integrity of the territories. “This is an issue that concerns not only the Land Reclamation Consortia, the Hunting Areas, and farmers, but all citizens.”
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