Rome, 06 May 2021 - On the occasion of the publication of FACE Manifesto for Biodiversity, a document in 38 action points aimed at demonstrating the commitment of hunters at European level to the conservation of biodiversity, Fondazione UNA highlights once again that hunting is to be understood as diametrically opposed to the practice of poaching, being the first characterized by a hunting ethic, by responsibility and awareness of the importance of one's role in protecting the natural balance of flora and fauna, and taking place within well-defined regulatory boundaries; poaching, on the other hand, is an illegal and disrespectful of the environment, devoid of ethics and purely for profit.
The principles of the UNA Foundation are perfectly in line with those of FACE, an international non-governmental organization that since 1977 has given a voice to 7 million hunters throughout Europe. The organization, made up of national hunter associations from 37 European countries, works with its partners on a range of hunting-related issues, from international conservation agreements to local implementation issues, with the aim of supporting the sector in Europe. .
From Manifesto for Biodiversity there is a strong commitment to combat the illegal killing of birds, with significant improvements noted in many European countries; for FACE, as well as for the UNA Foundation, illegal killing is not only a conservation problem but also damages the reputation of sustainable hunting, which is why it promotes zero tolerance, in line with the position of the EU institutions and various international agreements. Italy is currently the only EU Member State with an Action Plan against the illegal killing of birds and wildlife. An ad hoc Fondazione UNA project is also being studied on the theme of combating poaching which will be launched in the coming months.
The Plan, implemented by all Italian hunting associations for over four years, provides for a series of actions and 4 main objectives to combat poaching:
- Strengthening of the environmental police force for a total of about 14 thousand between professional guards and volunteers from hunting associations. The Anti-Poison Dog Units have been strengthened and a National Online Portal against Animal Poisoning has been established, which provides accurate maps of the situation across the country.
- Initiatives aimed at making the activities of the bodies responsible for supervision and law enforcement more effective
- Prevention of poaching acts through awareness and information campaigns in the mass media and in schools. The hunting associations are very active in the prevention of the faunal and social damage produced by poachers.
- Monitoring of the implementation of the Action Plan, through the collection of data and the preparation of annual reports to describe the trend of illegal activities and evaluate the effectiveness of the enforcement actions implemented.
The plan also encourages measures to prevent and compensate for wildlife damage to agricultural production, so as to avoid illegal self-defense actions to counter the damage, employing tens of thousands of volunteer hunters who, in both protected and regular areas, carry out a fundamental role in the control of problematic species.
The correct training of new hunters and refresher courses for expert hunters, carried out by all hunting associations in Italy, are essential to achieve these objectives, for example to make them more aware of the damage caused by poaching and to promote effective social prevention.
FOUNDATION ONE
UNA Foundation through a new environmental chain, made up of sometimes conflicting realities, is committed to the protection and management of nature, contributing to the well-being of the community. In fact, environmental, agricultural and hunting realities converge, together with scientific and academic ones, which by sharing common objectives and collaborating around concrete projects, act synergistically towards the shared aim of creating a sustainable territorial and environmental context. One of the foundations of the UNA Foundation is the protection of biodiversity through its active commitment to addressing and seeking solutions to emergencies that threaten its balance, through the implementation of targeted activities and projects.