Note to the institutions
Simone Barbi, President of the Tuscan Archipelago Park Community, has sent an official statement to the relevant Ministers, Undersecretaries, regional and local institutions, and leading agricultural and environmental organizations, urging immediate and coordinated action to address the ungulate emergency on Elba Island . He reiterates the need to appoint a Special Commissioner ad acta. In the statement, Barbi draws attention to the serious impact of the uncontrolled presence of wild boars and mouflons, a problem now recognized by both the local community and tourists, with consequences for road safety, agriculture, and the balance of ecosystems.
The perception of the wild boar
The President also highlights updated data from a sociological survey conducted by the Park Authority: between 2023 and 2025, the perception of wild boar as a problem has increased significantly: the percentage of respondents who consider their presence problematic has increased from 77% to 93%, and within this percentage, those who consider it "very problematic" have increased the most (from 47% to 74%). The trend is similar for the mouflon: those who perceive it as very problematic have doubled (from 23% to 47%), while the percentage who give it a "neutral" rating has dropped sharply (from 27% to 9%). Overall, nearly two out of three Elbans (2%) now consider the presence of the mouflon to be negative, compared to 3% in 65.
The need for drastic and immediate measures
The situation was further exacerbated by a tragic road accident in May 2025, caused by a collision between a motorcyclist and a wild boar, an incident that sparked public debate about the need for drastic and immediate measures. "Faced with a problem that has dragged on for years and is now causing growing concern," Barbi states, "we can no longer afford delays. We must launch an immediate eradication plan, following the technical methods and timelines outlined by the Park Authority in the study presented last spring.
The powers to be entrusted
If the various parties involved in this complex, ambitious, but unavoidable project are unable to find effective synergy and immediate conditions for the overall proposed action, I believe the only option left is to call for the immediate appointment of a Special Commissioner for the ungulate emergency on the Island of Elba, who will be entrusted with adequate powers and resources to implement effective measures to combat the proliferation of these ungulates and subsequent actions aimed at their eradication from Elba.
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