Researchers of the Institute of Complex Systems of the National Research Council (Cnr-Isc) and Institute for Research and Environmental Protection (Ispra) carried out a series of censuses of the wild boar population throughout Italy using the distance sampling method using thermal night vision goggles in different Italian protected areas, showing that estimating the populations of this wild animal in a precise and accurate way is possible. The study - published in the journal Wildlife Biology - was conducted in very different environmental conditions, ranging from the Mediterranean woods of Monte Arcosu (Sardinia) to agricultural areas of great value in Euganean Hills, up to the highest altitudes of the Apennine mountains (Casentinesi Forests, Tuscany and Emilia Romagna): all environments strongly influenced by the presence of the wild boar.
“The availability of population estimates can make it possible effectively plan the control actions necessary to contain the species and to evaluate how effective these actions have been ”, explains Stefano Focardi of Cnr-Isc, head of research. In fact the research shows that in the studied environments, with an acceptable effort, it is possible to obtain precise estimates al 20%, a significant leap in quality. given that in Europe today no one is able to estimate the wild boar populations. “The article presents an extensive discussion of methods that can be used for monitoring.
Viewed the negative impact that the species has on crops and the costs that this entails», Adds Barbara Franzetti of Ispra,« the possibility of setting an adaptive management on precise and reliable data would represent a particularly useful operational tool ». "A potentially very serious problem caused by the presence of wild boar is the spread of African swine fever, which can severely negatively impact European pig farming", Concludes Focardi," and the availability of precise methods for estimating populations can be extremely relevant for the formulation of risk maps "(Morning in Padua).