Wolf and biodiversity
La UNA Foundation (Man Nature Environment) intervened today in one of our country's leading newspapers, the Corriere della Sera. The reason? To address the wolf issue, which has been generating endless discussion and, above all, confusion for some time now. The organization, founded in 2015, has very clear ideas on this matter: "The wolf is an important component of Italian biodiversity, but its growing presence in populated areas generates real conflicts with livestock farming, agriculture, and other human activities, sometimes even posing safety risks. Managing this species means finding a balance between conservation and the protection of rural communities, recognizing a fundamental principle: resources should be allocated to the species most in need of conservation intervention, as is the case in the periodic review of the IUCN Red List.".
Imitate other European countries and beyond
Equally precise are the words of Renata Briano, scientific director of the UNA Foundation: “The real issue is not the declassification of the wolf, but its management. The recovery of the species is also the positive, albeit partial, result of the 2002 Plan. Precisely for this reason, today it is necessary to fully apply its principles: urgent and effective intervention on problem populations, including through the removal of individual individuals, as has been done for years in the vast majority of European and non-European countries, to ensure the coexistence and protection of all populations, especially in areas of historical presence.".
Fight against poaching
According to Briano, moreover, “It is essential to preserve human presence in the countryside and mountains, along with the activities that sustain them, such as livestock farming, agriculture, and tourism, preventing land abandonment from becoming a true emergency. In a highly anthropized country like Italy, where wolf density is now among the highest in Europe, continuing to consider it an untouchable animal means abandoning authoritative governance, fueling social conflict, economic damage, and illegal practices such as poaching. The wolf today is a healthy species: it should not be abandoned, but managed responsibly, along with prevention efforts, combating poaching, and also addressing the growing problem of hybridization with dogs.".
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