ARCI HUNTING | The demonstrations, the press releases of the agricultural associations, the road accidents, the safety of the citizens can no longer be issues exorcised by Parliament or faced with folkloristic chatter about the hiring of public employees to guard the wild boars. Passing the damage and responsibility for solving the problem onto the farmers is simply propaganda. Shared resources and solutions are needed which also see hunters shared as in all of Europe, because they have the skills, means and tools that allow them to intervene effectively in compliance with scientific indications. "God help us" is not a solution. Acting according to science and knowledge means having data, censuses and therefore the supporting role of Ispra.
To put in place, formally and legitimately, all the energies and above all those of the specialists, the hunters, who, if engaged, can even more and better represent the solution to this problem for which farmers pay in particular but not only: this falls on the shoulders of all citizens and the country. Having fanatical and ideological attitudes, prejudicial, means continuing in the horde of useless chatter that, at this moment, no one needs.
It is necessary to follow up, transforming into law the resolution approved in the Senate by a large majority (which we attach) and the amendment, signed by the Honorable Avossa, presented to the Chamber (which we attach). It is a duty for those who want to represent the sovereign people in institutional settings.
Arch Hunting, in preparation for its Congress, aware of the gravity of the situation, it has produced its own document (also attached) which aims to help the indispensable process of involvement and consultation necessary for those who look at the well-being of Italians, the quality of life in rural areas and it wants to contribute to the economic and cultural recovery that we badly need.
ARCI HUNTING NATIONAL
Below is the: Arci Caccia Congressional Document on the management of wild boar.
Il Boar, among the wild species, it can be considered one of the most critical in the management of its relations with anthropic activities. This has become fully aware in the last twenty years as a result of its surprising demographic increase throughout Europe. The reasons for the increase and expansion of this species are well known and linked to many factors: abandonment of traditional agriculture, increase in forest areas, climate changes and inappropriate choices of hunting management. It should not be underestimated that the demographic increase of the species has also been favored by introduction works, carried out since the second half of the 80s, by individual hunters, ATC and, even, by some provincial administrations.
Today, Italy, on a European scale, is one of the countries most involved, both politically and socially, in the management of the problems triggered by the presence of the wild boar. This technical annex aims, on the basis of the current regional management experiences of wild boar, to propose ideas to provide an improvement contribution to the current management structure of the species.
The publications and texts used to draw up the following technical document are: Monaco A., B. Franzetti, L. Pedrotti and S. Toso, 2003 (Guidelines for the management of wild boar. Min. Agricultural and Forestry Policies - Ist. Naz . Fauna Selvatica, pp. 116.), Monaco A., Carnevali L. and S. Toso, 2010 (Guidelines for the management of the wild boar Sus Scrofa in protected areas. 2nd edition. Quad. Cons. Natura, 34, Min . Environment - ISPRA) and Sperandio G., 2020 (The management of wild boar (Sus scrofa) in the Marche region: status, results, criticalities, perspectives. XNUMXst level inter-university Master's thesis - Management and conservation of the environment and fauna - University di Parma) as well as some positive experiences of wild boar management carried out in some national realities.
At the end of the 80s, starting from the Apennine regions, there has been a continuous increase in the numbers and the area occupied by this species. An important contribution, in the first phase of affirmation and demographic expansion of the Wild Boar, was certainly provided by the presence of some historical national and regional protected areas present in central Italy.
The continuous ecological transformations of the Apennine mountain and hilly habitats in favor of the species have contributed to a numerical consolidation of the contingents already present and to a subsequent expansion of these towards the hilly and coastal areas, reaching even the Alpine regions. Currently, the wild boar is present without interruption in all Italian regions, including the islands, with the exception of some portions of the Alpine arc where the altitude extends above 1000 m asl. , almost every ecosystem on a national scale. With a large margin of error, due to the lack of homogeneity of data available on the subject, the consistency of the populations of the species on the national territory is approximately around 2000 - 1.000.000 heads.
By virtue of the consequent capillary sampling activity carried out on the species (hunting
hunting, selection hunting, control activities), the hunting interest towards the wild boar is widespread and remarkable throughout the national territory. The analysis of the biometric and kinegetic data that can be obtained from the animals collected could provide useful indices for the evaluation of population dynamics. Despite the high number of culled animals, now in all Italian regions, it still happens that the consistency estimates and regional collection plans are determined with direct counting techniques. These techniques, still today, only applied in some regions for the knowledge of the wild boar population, are not to be considered as suitable for achieving an adequate level of knowledge of the characteristics of a wild boar population for management purposes (see ISPRA opinions on the wild boar plans 2020 and 2021). In fact, for an elusive species, characterized by an important seasonal nomadism such as the wild boar, a data collection model based on:
to. data collected during the collection or in the immediately following phase of treatment of the remains of the killed animals (no. Wild boars killed, sighted, injured; sex and biometric measurements of the killed animals);
b. data obtained from the examination of biological samples taken from culled animals (age estimate based on the analysis of eruption and tooth wear; estimate of fertility obtained through observation of the female reproductive system).
In addition to the data described above, an evaluation of the impacts caused by the species on anthropogenic activities (agronomic activities and road accidents) is also a significant index to better determine the status of the population of the species and its historical evolution.
The subdivision, albeit approximate, of the wild boar samplings carried out, at national level, in the different hunting techniques shows in a macroscopic way how hunting hunting includes about 80% of all the wild boars killed. The percentage of withdrawals with selection hunting (12% ca) and extremely marginal the percentage of withdrawals made with the endorsement technique (ca 8%). The enormous imbalance of the withdrawals made between the different hunting techniques can only be considered a critical factor as, for example, an increase in withdrawals with the selection technique, would represent a better response in addressing the criticalities that the wild boar causes. towards agricultural economies since this technique can be exercised in the periods of greatest impact on crops (spring / summer). In fact, the selection hunt for the species, in the light of the regulatory provisions introduced by Legislative Decree 248/2005 art. 11 - quaterdecies, can be exercised for twelve months a year.
The experience gained in the national and international context has clearly shown the impossibility of identifying, in absolute terms and independent of the operational context, which hunting technique is more effective or preferable. Often, the best results are obtained with the synergistic application of several hunting techniques during the hunting season,
adapting the methods and times of their use also to the peculiarities of the intervention area and to the characteristics of the population.
The analysis on a national scale of damage to agricultural crops shows a prevalence of impacts (about 70%) towards spring and summer crops (corn, sunflower, wheat, protein legumes). Apply suitable prevention systems together with a more widespread, constant and consistent implementation of the provisions of Legislative Decree 248/2005 art. 11 - quaterdecies with respect to selection hunting could, especially in spring and summer, contribute effectively to reducing damage to agricultural crops.
The evidence of the inadequacy of the wild boar management models prepared up to now in most of the Italian regional realities is demonstrated by the fact that there is an increasing need to resort to extraordinary management of the species (control) to the detriment of ordinary management. (hunting). Improper postponement is therefore a better and more efficient hunting management of the wild boar, useful for mitigating damage to agricultural crops, reducing road accidents and therefore increasing the possibility of investments in environmental improvement works aimed at the protection and reproduction of sedentary fauna. minor. All this, to be obtained, first of all, through the lay recourse and on a technical basis to any form of sampling of the species permitted by the national and regional reference laws. The legislation, having heard the interested categories, will undoubtedly have to be adapted quickly and perfected on the basis of the indications of ISPRA with the aim of obtaining a better and efficient rebalancing of the numerical consistencies of the Wild Boar.