Federcaccia on the new Piedmont Hunting Calendar, "Does the Region want to hurt hunting?", "Two clues ... are they proof?".
Agatha Christie, the most translated English writer ever and world-class crime writer, argued that… a clue is a clue, two a coincidence, three a proof. And then, thinking about what has happened in the last nine months, a question arises spontaneously: but the Piedmont Region wants to hurt hunting? Maybe that the Councilor ... cares little about the hunting activity? Because here, dear friends, the clues are all there, even if for now only two, but great! The first is in July 2014, when a written request from the Environmentalist and Animalist Associations was matched by a positive response from Councilor Ferrero, who had been in office for less than two weeks but was already able to comply promptly and quickly, almost as if he were a referee who assigns a penalty by whistling. on request, denied by assistants and slow motion! And so the Piedmontese alpine hunters, for the first time in decades, had to give up hunting the ptarmigan, despite scientific data to legitimize it and censuses carried out according to strict rules and the "Guidelines" established by the Piedmont Region itself.
A bit like if the referee ordered a team to stop the game, and then whistled against a foul because one of his players touched the ball with their hands. Less were those other regional administrators, their colleagues and we could say ... of the same arbitration association, who a couple of months later, wanted to demonstrate full compliance with a definite majority ... with a marked environmental sensitivity!
It was Pro Natura who wrote to him, invoking the cancellation of a sacrosanct right of hunters: the possibility of off-road routes with motorized vehicles in the days of collection, and for the completion of the hunting activity. It discriminates against other enthusiasts, wrote their referents, whether they are mushroom hunters, hikers, climbers, and so the rule that allowed them transit was abrogated, even if hunters to exercise their passion pay fine taxes and assorted taxes. . Another penalty, indeed this time also a heavy expulsion foul whistled at the beginning of the game at the request of one side, but without the slightest confrontation with the members of the referee trio or the opposing team.
The clues at this point are two, striking and convincing, but, as Agatha Christie would tell us, it could still be a simple coincidence. We do not know, but we are sure that our referees / rulers will soon be able to fill this gap, giving us a new heavy clue. The opportunity will certainly not be lacking, and we have already seen something with the recently approved hunting calendar; the worst, however, could still come, because on the table there is the knot of the new regional law to be addressed, and we also know how other brilliant insights will sprout in the animal / environmental world. As we used to say… there is no two without three. In any case, the evidence acquired must be shown and demonstrated, and therefore you will find the two letters attached, as if they were the much desired… smoking gun that solves the mystery!
ps We were forwarding our communication when the last letter arrived, again from Pro Natura and always to Councilor Ferrero.
We enclose that too: who knows this is not the third clue we were waiting for ...
Letter from the animal welfare associations to Councilor Ferrero:
Turin, 4 July 2014
Dr. Giorgio Ferrero
Councilor for Hunting of the Piedmont Region
Egr. dr. Ferrero,
as agreed, we formalize the results that emerged during the meeting of last July 2, with particular reference to the requests presented by the environmental and animal welfare associations present, on their own or by proxy, at the meeting (Pro Natura, LAC, WWF, LIPU , LAV, CAI-TAM). In the first place, the need emerged to create a discontinuity with respect to the past legislature, during which the relations between the Councilor for Hunting and the Associations have always been conflicting and marked by a total lack of confrontation and dialogue. To this end, the establishment of a discussion table is required, in which, on a regular basis, to address the problems inherent to the hunting policy in our Region. Among the first issues on which it will certainly be necessary to set up a comparison are the Regional Hunting Wildlife Plan and the hoped-for new regional law on hunting activities.
The PFVR has in fact already been adopted by the previous Regional Council, but not yet approved by the Regional Council. However, a thorough revision of the document is deemed necessary, which was drawn up in a few days with the sole purpose of allowing hunting in the past season, after the TAR (following an appeal filed by Pro Natura and LAC) had suspended a first draft of the hunting calendar, precisely because it was drawn up in the absence of adequate planning tools. However, the Plan has numerous unacceptable aspects, not least the fact that it is based on very dated documentation and does not take due account of the environmental changes that have occurred in recent years. The Region will then have to adopt a new law, after the previous one was repealed in 2012 with the sole and declared purpose of preventing the holding of the regional referendum, legitimately requested in 1987, but never carried out. The new law will have to take due account of the referendum requests: otherwise the re-proposal of the popular consultation would be automatic.
Finally, the associations ask for an immediate sign of discontinuity with respect to the pro-hunting policy clearly adopted by the previous council. An initiative of great symbolic, as well as naturalistic, value could be the immediate elimination from the list of huntable species of those whose numerical consistency and population dynamics demonstrate a situation of great difficulty, also recognized internationally. The European Union has in fact classified, based on the situation of the populations, the species of birds in the following categories:
SPEC 1: species present in Europe and considered to be of global conservation interest, as it is classified as seriously endangered, threatened, vulnerable close to a state of threat or insufficiently known according to the criteria of the IUCN Red List (International Union for the Conservation of Nature);
SPEC 2: species whose global population is concentrated in Europe, where it has an unfavorable conservation status;
SPEC 3: species whose global population is not concentrated in Europe, but which in Europe has an unfavorable conservation status;
In Piedmont two SPEC 2 species (red partridge and rock partridge) and 7 SPEC 3 species (black grouse, partridge, snipe, quail, woodcock, dove, lark can be hunted, to which we must add the ptarmigan, which, although classified as NONSPEC , presents problems related to the helveticus subspecies (the one present in our country), which, according to ISPRA "shows an evident decline in many Italian provinces and is therefore to be considered vulnerable in our country").
It is believed that, also on the basis of the fact that none of these species creates any economic or environmental problems, the hunting of them could be suspended without creating any problems whatsoever. In particular, it is believed that the species belonging to the typical alpine fauna (ptarmigan, rock partridge, black grouse, to which it is also necessary to add the variable hare, on whose consistency there are not even approximate data) must necessarily be fully protected, under penalty of the risk of disappearance, at least locally.
We also point out the need for the Piedmont Region to implement as soon as possible the provisions of article 1, paragraph 5, of Law 157/1992 and of art. 8 of the abrogated LR 70/1996: "The regions and autonomous provinces within four months of the entry into force of this law shall establish, along the migration routes of the avifauna reported by ISPRA, protection areas aimed at maintaining and the improvement of the habitats included in these areas and adjacent to them; they also restore the biotopes destroyed due to anthropic activity ".
Trusting in the acceptance of our requests, we welcome the opportunity to extend our best regards.
For the Pro Natura Associations - LAC - WWF - LIPU - LAV - CAI-TAM
(Piero Belletti) Pro Natura Piedmont
To the President of the Board of the Piedmont Region
To the Regional Councilors of the Piedmont Region
THEIR OFFICES
Subject: Movement on off-road routes of motorized vehicles of subjects authorized to the hunting activity.
In 2010 the Regional Council chaired by Roberto Cota had approved, on the initiative of the Director Gian Luca Vignale (notoriously close to the positions of the hunting world), as part of Law 18 of 3 August 2010 (Adjustment to the budget for the financial year 2010 and financial provisions), Article 17, which amended part of the Regional Law 32/1982 (Rules for the conservation of the natural heritage and environmental structure).
In particular, the new version of art. 11 of the aforementioned LR 32 extends the derogation from the prohibition of circulation on off-road routes to "... motorized vehicles of subjects authorized to hunt activities that display a copy of the valid regional card ..."
We consider this rule not only dangerous for the purposes of primary environmental protection requirements, but also highly unjust and discriminatory: in fact, because it does not provide the same for those who carry out other leisure activities, such as hiking, mushroom hunting, sport climbing, etc. ? Furthermore, there is no reason why hunters should be favored in the exercise of their activity. One of the arguments that are most often given to justify hunting is precisely the pleasure of contact with nature and wandering freely in woods and other natural environments ...
We therefore ask the Regional Councilors to be promoters of a legislative initiative so that this provision is canceled from the regional system as soon as possible. Although we understand the intention of the Region to provide for a total revision of LR 32/1982, we believe that this anticipation is absolutely necessary and cannot be extended, also in light of the imminent start of the hunting season.
We remain available for further clarifications and any meetings in which to deepen the problem.
We thank you for the attention that this will be the subject of and we take this opportunity to extend our best regards.
The contact person for Flora and Fauna (Dr. Piero Belletti)
The President (Dr. Mario Cavargna)
(April 22, 2015)
Hunting Federation