Huntable species in decline
We gladly share this reflection of Stephen Castellani, a Roman hunter who is very present on social media where he often shares ideas of this type: “Habitat, an important and meaningful word, increasingly present in theory and much, much less so in practice these days. What am I getting at with this statement? My grandfather always told me that when they came across a nest of pheasant, quail, or grey partridge while mowing, they would leave the grain raised within a ten-meter radius to allow them to continue their brood. Today, all this is no longer possible! Other rhythms, other crops, other methods, and... other demands! There's no longer any desire to wait, or rather, to keep up with demand, we have to hurry, and inevitably someone has to suffer the consequences. And those suffering the worst consequences today are precisely wildlife. When we talk about the decline in huntable species, many are tempted to immediately point the finger at hunting.".
Another reality
"But the reality that nature lovers know well is different: animals are disappearing because we have erased their home, their habitat. One of the enemies of biodiversity in our countryside is intensive, industrialized agriculture. Are we really aware that most of the birds going extinct are insectivores and not huntable at all? Birds like swallows, house martins, and flycatchers are not hunted, yet their conservation status is in danger. The main reason? Insects are lacking, killed by chemicals and the removal of every corner of biodiversity in the fields. Who will explain to some people that their demand and their "ecological food" likely have an even greater impact on the conservation status of some species than hunting? To satisfy the mass demand for products considered healthy, clean, or plant-based, agriculture has had to industrialize. Large tracts of land are razed to the ground, hedges are removed to accommodate enormous machinery, and fields are leveled.".
The gun makes noise, the poison doesn't.
"That perfect salad or organic cereal purchased at the supermarket often carries the invisible price of a completely destroyed habitat. A silent, continuous, and devastating impact, which affects the survival of species infinitely more than regulated hunting. I'm not advocating going back—that would be impossible and probably unfair—but it's fair to ask two questions, especially of those who continue to defend the environment by pointing the finger at a group, ours, which is probably the only one still truly able to understand and defend it. It's true, and at the same time very sad, but... guns make noise, poison doesn't.".
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