An important victory for the protection of wildlife in Sicily was confirmed yesterday by the Council of Administrative Justice for the Sicilian Region (Cga). Judgment no. 242/23 rejected the application for suspension of the effectiveness of the previous Tar decision concerning the "Sicily Region Hunting Calendar 2022/2023", which allowed the hunting of wild turtle dove (Streptopelia turtur).
The species of wild turtle dove is at international risk, and this is why environmental associations such as WWF Italy, Legambiente Sicily and Lipu have fought strenuously to protect it. Last year, the Tar had accepted the appeal of WWF Italy, Legambiente Sicily, Lipu, Lndc Animal Protection, Enpa and Lac, censoring the "withdrawal plan" of the Sicily Region which allowed the hunting of this species.
The system proposed by the Department required hunters to register on a telematic portal and declare the number of animals shot each day. As soon as the limit of 3.300 turtle doves shot down in Sicily was reached, the hunting would have been definitively stopped for this migratory species.
Even the "hunting calendar of the current 2023/24 season", published a few weeks ago, provided for an identical "collection plan", for which the hunters' associations had requested the suspension from the Cga. However, environmental associations have opposed it, highlighting the serious damage that hunting wild turtle doves would cause to the species.
In its recent ordinance, the Cga reiterated that the interest in hunting cannot prevail over the need to protect the aviofauna and recalled the modification of article 9 of the Constitution, which establishes the protection of the environment and biodiversity also in the interest of future generations. This reinforces the need for caution in the management of natural resources, such as turtle doves.
The outcome of the ruling brought great satisfaction to the WWF Italia, Legambiente Sicilia and Lipu associations, who commented: "Once again the forcing of the Region and hunting associations was rejected and the prevalence of the principle of not causing harm to wildlife as a state heritage confirmed". The Cga's decision represents a step forward in protecting endangered species and ensuring a healthy environment for future generations.