"The intent of Pdl 157 is appreciable, which realizing the inefficiency of law 20/2002 in contain and eradicate nutria, makes changes to it in order to make it more efficient. The actual improvements brought about by the measure, however will probably not be sufficient to solve the problem". So she expressed herself Lorraine Honey, vice president of Cia Lombardia in the hearing in the agriculture commission of the Lombardy Region last 22 July.
"Law 20/2002 was approved with the aim of eradicating the nutria, but to date, after 20 years it has not reached the goal, indeed the nutria have increased exponentially, this means that the basic principles of the law are bankrupt, therefore the approach to the problem must be completely changed "observed Lorena Miele, explaining that the nutria is an allochthonous species and its massive presence generates serious problems in different areas, first of all the ecological one. In fact, entering into competition with the native species puts its survival in difficulty.
Furthermore, by ruining the territory through his own excavation action, he puts a risk of extinction also different plant species and worsens the stability of the territory, increasing the hydrogeological risk. "Bill 157 brings improvements to the law (the broadening of the categories of subjects who can intervene is welcome in the elimination of the nutria, the possibility of burial of the carcasses), but it does not change the basic principles - the Cia vice president underlined-. The task of eradicating the nutria has until now been left to different subjects (municipalities, provinces), who have moved more or less efficiently, independently of each other, and this has led to efficient interventions in some areas and inefficient or even nil in others.
But otters do not respect territorial boundaries, they move from one territory to another and this frustrates the action of the bodies that have been more efficient in reducing the number of heads. Therefore, coordinated action at the national level is needed and if the State does not want to deal with the issue, releasing the problem on the regions, it is necessary for the regions to coordinate in an agreed and common strategy, well studied, taking inspiration from realities such as theEngland where the problem was solved. Our national plan for the eradication of the coypu of 2018 - continued Lorena Miele - recognizes that the project carried out in England is one of the most successful examples.
So we can think of implementing the same strategy ourselves. It is true that England is an island and once the present specimens have been eliminated, no new ones arrive from the neighboring territories, but the condition of Italy is not very different: being a peninsula on three sides it is surrounded by the sea and on the fourth side we have the Alps, which represent a natural barrier for otters. The example of England - concluded the vice president of CIA Lombardia - shows us, however, that resources are needed and substantial funding is needed for such a big problem. You cannot eradicate the nutria without thinking of putting in place the necessary resources "(Source: CIA Lombardy).