The main political controversy that is concerning in these hours Liguria has to do with wolf hunting. As reported by the newspaper Savonanews.it, the associations of the Greens took it out on Stefano Mai, regional councilor for agriculture and former mayor of Zuccarello (in the province of Savona in fact), the character most favorable to this reopening of the hunting. According to these associations, Liguria is suffering from a rather important crisis as regards the agricultural sector, caused by urbanization and the progressive abandonment of the countryside. The hydrogeological instability and the loss of market share by quality Ligurian productions are inevitable consequences of this situation. Since 1992 the Habitat Directive sanctioned the protection of the wolf, an animal that has been included in the list of species that deserve urgent protection measures.
Furthermore, since 1997, trapping, killing and marketing have been prohibited. In Ligurian territory, however, more and more attacks by wolves against the livestock of the ranchers have been recorded, a phenomenon that we want to stem at all costs. This is why Mai referred to the excessive number of these animals and the fact that the Region does not have the necessary money to compensate the breeders themselves for the damage suffered due to the mauled animals. The figures are soon said: in fact, in 2014, 50 wolves were sighted throughout Liguria, while in 2015 the total increased uncontrollably.
The commissioner spoke of an increase of about 3-4 times, a change that suggests the reopening of the hunt for these specimens as a possible and viable solution. The issue has been known by the Ministry of the Environment for at least seven months and Liguria is not the only region with this type of problem. Among other things, the current economic resources are not sufficient to implement the wolf conservation and management plan, Mai is convinced that the state should intervene with the competent ministries.
The associations of the Greens believe that such a proposal is evidence of the absence of planning ideas on the part of the regional council. P.For animal rights activists, it is serious that Ligurian wolves are not exactly quantified and the claim that the census carried out a few years ago was incomplete. The counter-proposal consists of a technical table involving authorities, farmers and associations to discuss overabundance, putting hunting aside as a means of solving an all too complex problem.