The recent ruling of TAR Tuscan section II n ° 848/2020 on the Hunting Calendar of the past hunting season 2019/20, leaves you amazed for some reasons given, especially as regards the hunting collection of the Pochard and Lapwing species. Without prejudice to our satisfaction with the result obtained on the Woodpecker hunt, for the legitimate confirmation of the closure on January 31, on the Pochard and Lapwing species, we propose the continuation of a necessary battle for the defense of future hunting calendars.
By now, the tug-of-war between the Regions, ISPRA and the Ministry of the Environment is taking on more the connotations of a political question, rather than a technical one. In our opinion, in fact, the attempt is to trigger yet another "animal-environmentalist crusade" on the list of huntable species. The instrumental use of the AEWA Agreement and the Birds Directive go hand in hand with the contradictions of ISPRA and the Ministry of the Environment. The same one that only a few weeks ago, ordered the regions to apply the hunting ban on these species in the calendars. The beginning of a dangerous drift to which we firmly intend to oppose, not only for the solid technical-scientific reasons, but also for the much wider risks it contains. Today, therefore, the Confederation of Tuscan Hunters continues to defend the reasons and choices made by the Tuscany Region in the approval of the current 2020/21 Hunting Calendar, approved only a few weeks ago which, and which reconfirms the Lapwing and Pochard among the species huntable. From a technical point of view, the reasons are known and we just want to reiterate them briefly:
There are recent rulings of the Council of State (section III of 18/10/2019) which have established that the two species can be subject to hunting. The data on the recapture of Lapwing in Europe and those relating to the incidence of hunting on this species and on the Pochard, present objective elements confirming the legitimacy of the choices made by the region. We pointed out that it would have been enough to investigate the extent of the taking of Lapwing and Pochards in Italy and compare it with the number of populations to understand that the incidence of this mortality has no influence on the overall demography of these species. For the lapwing it is estimated an annual collection of between 46.000 and 56.000 heads while for the pochard between 15.000 and 18.000 heads (Sorrenti et. Al., 2017).
The lapwing has an estimate in Europe between 3.190.000 and 5.170.000 mature individuals, while the pochard between 1.950.000-2.250.000 individuals (IUCN, 2020). Applying the average data of the estimates (sampling and total population) we obtain for the Lapwing an incidence of the sampling of 1,22%, while for the Pochard of 0,78%. It is sufficient to compare these percentages with the published data of natural mortality which are included for the lapwing between 30 and 40% (Guide to the EU Hunting Discipline) and for the pochard between 19 and 25% for males and between 31. and 33% for females (Folliot et al., 2019) to understand that the levy in Italy is so low as to be in the order of magnitude of that allowed for hunting in derogation, therefore having no influence on the conservation of the species (Guide to EU Hunting Regulations paragraphs 3.5.36 and 3.5.42).
Finally, it was reiterated that the hunting world also contributes in Tuscany to the conservation and restoration of the habitats for these two species. For these reasons and without hesitation, in the wider initiative that will concern other regional realities and their respective hunting calendars, in Tuscany, the appeal will be presented to the Council of State as announced by the Italian Federation of Hunting. These are the facts and initiatives that will be developed in defense of all hunters, without distinction of belonging. The hunting world and hunting are under attack. This imposes the moral and political duty to make every effort necessary to reaffirm, in compliance with scientific truth, the certainty of law.