Letter to the Region
Alessandro Moscato, President of CONFAVI Puglia (the regional section of the confederation led by Giulia Sottoriva), has sent a letter to the Region to address the issue of the proposed membership to the National Management Plan for the Turtle Dove. The text follows.
Breeding population trend
Agricultural species monitoring data processed by the National Rural Network and LIPU show that the turtle dove breeding population in Italy has shown substantial stability in recent years, with signs of improvement in the most recent period (2021-2024) according to updates to the Farmland Bird Index. This evidence demonstrates that management policies and hunting restrictions introduced in recent years have contributed to improving the species' conservation status.
Origin of the subjects sampled
A European study based on ringing and recapture data has highlighted that a significant portion of birds removed by Italian hunters come from breeding populations in Italy, demonstrating that the removal primarily involves individuals produced in national breeding areas. This finding reinforces the need for adaptive management of removal based on updated demographic data.
Reduction of the levy in recent years
In recent years, hunting of the species in Italy has undergone a drastic reduction, estimated at around 90% compared to historical levels. Therefore, the current impact of hunting on the species' population dynamics is significantly reduced compared to the past.
European and national management plan
The species is the subject of the International Action Plan for the Conservation of the European Turtle Dove 2018-2028 adopted by the EU Commission, which provides for the introduction of AHM systems aimed at ensuring the sustainability of harvesting. In implementation of this strategy, the National Management Plan for the European Turtle Dove was approved in Italy, which allows for the hunting of the species even during the pre-opening season for a limited number of days, subject to compliance with specific conditions.
Impact of the levy on the population
The literature and European hunting management guidelines stipulate that extremely limited harvests may be authorized for species in suboptimal conservation conditions, provided they are below a minimum threshold compared to natural mortality. Any limited harvest would therefore have a small percentage impact on the overall population, making it compatible with maintaining a favorable conservation status.
Agri-environmental improvements
In recent years, environmental improvement interventions have been implemented in Puglia as part of the regional RDPs, aimed at preserving agroecosystems and protecting biodiversity. These measures contribute to improving the availability of suitable habitats for the species' nesting and feeding, strengthening the conditions for sustainable management.
Possibility of regional adaptive management
In light of the indications contained in the National Plan and the application experiences already carried out in other regions, it seems possible to also foresee for Puglia:
- A limited number of pre-opening days (e.g. 2)
- Hunting only from a temporary hide
- A maximum regional withdrawal quota
- A daily and seasonal limit per hunter
- The obligation to register hunters in advance and communicate their killings electronically
This system would allow the regional administration to monitor the progress of harvests in real time and immediately halt hunting activity when a pre-established threshold is reached, thus ensuring effective and timely control.
Conclusions
Given the data and the regulatory framework, a limited, monitored, and adaptive harvest of the European turtle dove in Puglia would be compatible with the species' conservation objectives, the provisions of the national plan, and the principles of the Birds Directive. Therefore, it is believed that the regional administration could consider introducing an experimental regime of limited harvesting, accompanied by adequate scientific monitoring tools.
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