It should be said that with the Marsican bear the twists are never lacking. The last one probably would never have expected anyone. After a strenuous fight to the last press release and, a few months ago, even a lawsuit, the Abruzzo National Park and the Italian Association for Wilderness lay down their weapons and choose to collaborate for the protection of the bear. The reason seems to be the need to discuss issues concerning breeders and hunters, categories to which the Italian Association for Wilderness, AIW, is very close.
Giuseppe Rossi, commissioner of the Abruzzo National Park and Franco Zunino, secretary and founder of the Italian Association for Wilderness, in the past engaged in research on the bear commissioned by the same Park, bury the hatchet. In fact, it has been a real media war so far, with a back and forth that a few months ago culminated in a lawsuit by the Park against Zunino.
At the center of the disputes were the most varied issues concerning the conservation of the Marsican bear: what was happening in the Park did not go down at all to the secretary of AIW. But, incredibly, right after the lawsuit, the calm returned. In this way the Park tries to intercede, as can be deduced from the press release, with hunters and breeders, categories that are involved in problems relating to the conservation of the bear, hunters because the hunting plan in Abruzzo is completely missing and the technical table of the PATOM he works with some difficulties (testified by the decidedly complex process of this year's hunting calendar and by the fact that the Park itself has a position that we would define at least as “vague” in this regard).
Farmers, on the other hand, are involved in issues concerning the management of pastures in the park and in those of health monitoring, which this year exploded with a thunderous outbreak of tuberculosis in Gioia dei Marsi. Therefore, in the programmatic press release of the Park we read: “The AIW has often become even a little spokesperson for these categories, presenting itself, on various occasions, as a committed mediator for the solution of the conflicts that have arisen. Following some recent clarifying meetings between the Park managers and the AIW management, it was agreed to re-establish a positive relationship of collaboration, in the mutual interest and in the primary interest of conservation.
"The Park Authority, in compliance with a reciprocal civil dialectic and its own prerogatives, will be happy for the future to constructively evaluate the requests and / or possible criticisms and considerations that the AIW will deem to advance for the common purpose to safeguard the Marsican Bear. Finally, according to what has been agreed, the Park Authority and the AIW will make a particular effort to seek the best solutions aimed at improving existing relationships and positively overcoming any conflicts with hunters, breeders and shepherds. In fact, these are categories to be considered constructively in conservation policies, actively involving them in actions to protect the Marsican bear and its habitat. "
Now it will be seen if and how these actions will enter into synergy with the work of the Technical Board on hunting set up by the Ministry of the Environment according to what was written in the PATOM, and how they will coordinate with the initiatives of the Life Arctos Project, financed with European funds. , which dedicates two actions to the aspect of breeding and health issues, C1 and C2. The plans that will make the two actions operational are now being written and will have to be verified by the Project Coordination Table, in which of course the Abruzzo National Park also participates.
The Marsican bear is at serious risk of extinction. The latest estimate speaks of 40 individuals and many efforts have been made to date to prevent the animal from disappearing. Many funds have been allocated and that this deployment of forces and money leads to tangible results is now a matter of civil liability, which falls on the Ministry of the Environment, and cascade, on the other institutions, certainly not least the Abruzzo Park.
7th November 2012
Source: GaiaNews
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