Unsustainable population
Cia-Agricoltori Italiani Abruzzo launches a new and decisive appeal to the Region to urgently reactivate the procedure for selective culling of deer, essential for restoring the balance between wildlife, the environment, and agricultural activities. In vast swathes of the region, particularly in the province of L'Aquila and in the Peligna and Subequana Valleys, deer population density has now exceeded sustainable levels. According to data collected by the organization, over 60% of crop damage is now attributable to this species, with increasingly serious economic consequences for farms.
The need for quick decisions
"We are not facing an unpredictable event, but rather the result of wildlife management that has not been fully implemented within the existing regulatory framework for too long," says Nicola Sichetti, president of Cia Abruzzo. "Farmers can no longer bear the burden of this emergency alone: rapid decisions are needed, based on scientific and legally sound foundations." Cia Abruzzo notes that monitoring indicates deer densities significantly higher than the limits set by ISPRA (2 animals per 100 hectares), placing Abruzzo among the regions with the highest concentrations in Italy. The 2020 Regional Hunting Plan and national law 157/1992, which includes deer among the huntable species, already provide the necessary regulatory framework to initiate sustainable and legitimate selective culling.
Road accidents and biodiversity at risk
"The blocking of previous initiatives must not lead to inaction," Sichetti adds. "On the contrary, it is essential to restart the administrative process in light of recent rulings, building a formally unassailable procedure that will finally allow for intervention." In addition to damage to crops, Cia Abruzzo reports an increase in road accidents and serious repercussions on biodiversity, particularly food competition that puts vulnerable species such as the Apennine chamois at risk. "Restoring the balance between species and the environment means protecting the safety of citizens, biodiversity, and the dignity of the work of Abruzzo's farmers," concludes the president of Cia Abruzzo. "We trust in the Region's immediate intervention to provide concrete solutions to a sector at the end of its tether." (Source: CIA)
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