Meeting at the Ministry
The Minister of Environment and Energy Security, Gilbert Pichettomet yesterday morning with the president of the Autonomous Province of Trento, Maurizio Fugatti. Also present at the meeting, which took place in the headquarters of the Ministry, was the president of Ispra, Stefano Laporta, the general manager of the Department of Civil Protection, Forests and Wildlife of the Province, Raffaele De Col and, in connection, the provincial councilor to agriculture Giulia Zanotelli. President Fugatti highlighted to the Minister the need to bring the bear reintroduction project in Trentino, dating back to 1999, to its original objective. The minister confirmed the full collaboration of the Ministry of the Environment and recommended to President Fugatti the maximum sharing with Ispra of the procedures that will lead to the identification of subjects considered potentially dangerous for man, already responsible for aggressive behavior, towards which the President of the Province has the power to adopt abatement measures.
Lots of critical issues
The possibility was also taken into consideration of equipping public safety operators, as happens in other international realities, with defense devices such as anti-aggression sprays, on which no critical issues are identified from an environmental point of view. In this sense, Minister Pichetto said he was willing to immediately act as spokesperson for this request with the Minister of the Interior, responsible for the matter. Among the possible solutions taken into consideration, there is also that of developing a mass transfer plan with the maintenance in Trentino of a number of subjects sustainable from the territory.
Possible solutions
At the conclusion of the meeting, it was therefore decided to set up a technical discussion table between the Ministry of the Environment - which under the delegation of Minister Pichetto will be represented by Undersecretary Barbaro - Ispra, the Region and the Autonomous Province of Trento, in order to evaluate speed up any useful action to continue the original bear reintroduction project in the Alpine area, intervening on the critical issues that have arisen over time. President Fugatti expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the meeting, highlighting that in addition to the killing of the bear that attacked and killed the Caldes runner (whose identity will be revealed by genetic analyses), Ispra announced its favorable opinion also with respect to bears which in the past have injured hikers. "We thank Minister Pichetto for the sensitivity shown with respect to this issue, with the hope that this path of collaboration can have positive developments for the entire Trentino community, today hurt and angry over the death of a 26-year-old young man" (source : FIDC).