Arci Caccia Siena on the new Provincial Hunting Wildlife Plan: “fried air and high-sounding proclamations are the yellowed fig leaf on the nakedness of a policy that no longer exists”.
The approval of the Provincial Wildlife Hunting Plan, which took place with guilty delay and following unsuccessful and insufficient attempts at concertation which very often were only the communication of decisions already taken, is the opportunity to explain the position of the Arci Caccia di Siena and defuse the attempt to make this act appear as the result of a climate of agreement and unanimism. In fact, we are faced with an attempt at equilibrium; an art, that of floating a la Depretis, which frankly often resurfaces in today's politics, and in particular in the Sienese one, but which does not produce anything good. The Arci Caccia Provinciale of Siena clearly rejects the declarations of those who want to emphasize a climate of complicity, pointing out instead the elements of disagreement as the long dispute between the categories and the Provincial Administration, the public controversies that have appeared on the press, documents signed by the agricultural and hunting world and the request for intervention to the Prefect. These are acts, those mentioned above, which unequivocally express a profound discomfort, a situation of chaos never recorded in this territorial reality and which demonstrates that the critical issues all remain standing. Problems and criticisms that we reconfirm, also taking into account that the long series of proposals, requests and suggestions reported in the document approved by the Provincial Directorate of the Arci Caccia, which found only limited and partial confirmation in the Plan.
The question of the control of predators and in particular of the fox still remains open, an aspect on which to date there is no answer, except for the demonstration of a policy under blackmail, unable to perform the high function to which it would be called, that is to govern for the public interest. The matter of the agreement between the Province and ATC for the management of the ZRC remains open, as the definition of the problem is currently unclear, with particular reference to the resources to be allocated to this activity. The ATC game remains open as it is still a long way from meeting the request for greater clarity about their functioning and role. The Arci Caccia di Siena judges the PFVP just approved in a negative way, both as regards the contents and the method adopted in the long and exhausting preparation phase. An act, this PFVP, which appears more like an "emaciated copy - paste" of disconnected evaluations that make it "examining and colorless". Innovation, courage, experimentation, analysis and feedback on the results are non-verifiable and alien contents in the approved text.
The Plan therefore seems to be an act of those who have their suitcases now in hand, but do not worry in the least about who and how will manage certain dangerous choices that concern the future. This Plan is not the result of a real consultation based on the merits of the issues, so much so that the proposals of the Arci Caccia di Siena have not been taken into account, except for some partial adjustments as in the case of wild boar hunting and the so-called squadrette; adjustments dictated by the need to plug at least some of the many leaks in the ship, hoping to be able to continue to float, rather than by the desire to overhaul the entire hull and then return to sail decisively the open seas of good management.
The Wildlife Plan lacks a basic strategy and does not address the real challenges launched by the reform of the Regional Law. The issue of the unitary management of the territory with regard to ungulates, one of the major innovations of the regional legislation which provides for the creation of management units at the population level, is not addressed. There is no aggressive strategy to deal with the phenomenon of damage, just as the issue of managing small sedentary game is dealt with in a generic way, without looking for the causes of the current difficult situation, trying to remedy it even with innovative solutions. There remains the provision of a prohibition for fixed stalking in the SIC and in the SIR, despite the open dispute and the counter-arguments brought by the Arci Caccia in support of the uselessness of this provision which only tends to harm the rights of hunters, without real conservation implications.
There are also disturbing choices in the Plan that we will undertake in every way to counter on the territory: the AFVs and AAVs are rewarded with new institutions, without a prior analysis on the results achieved (to say the least poor in many cases), while on the other hand lethal blows are given to the possibility of managing public wildlife institutes. The Arci Caccia of Siena, therefore, expresses an overall negative opinion on the Plan. We also note, following the method followed for the implementation and approval of this act of a poor appreciation of the proposals of our Association, therefore a cycle of participation and involvement with the Provincial Administration, perhaps underestimated or neglected in the past, is interrupted.
While respecting the will of the other Associations and Organizations which, out of a sense of responsibility, have decided not to reach the extreme consequence of the management paralysis, Arci Caccia will evaluate every useful initiative to identify the responsibilities of this chaotic situation and to favor a decided change of course, through all the actions that will become necessary. We would therefore like that the sense of responsibility towards our shareholders which, for now, leads us to continue with the management commitments, is not mistaken for an act of surrender. If anything, it is a change of strategy that does not want to be condescending towards those who caused this situation, but rather an act of attachment to our land.
August 14th, 2013
Arci Provincial hunting of Siena