Summing up the data relating to the members of the territorial hunting areas and those of the members of the alpine areas, currently the number of hunters residing in Liguria, enabled for the hunting season 2021/2022, amounts to 12.917. Among these, on the basis of official inscriptions, there are 2.146 people from La Spezia. Looking at the other provinces, the two areas of Genoa, added together, come to 4787 members, the four of Savona to 3.229, while Imperia stops at 2755. The data is up to date. They are contained in the decree just published by the Liguria Region, called upon to distribute the funds deriving from hunting proceeds, in accordance with the provisions of regional law 29 of 1994. The number of Ligurian hunters is in sharp decline, in the light of the numbers reported by the decree.
In 2002 in Liguria they resulted 27.581. It must be said that in 2007 they had already dropped to 23.888. And ten years later, in 2017, they had dropped to 16.183. In four years, the side-by-side army has dwindled again, so much so that today it does not reach 13. They are in line with what is happening at the national level. The Italian hunters were even the 3% of the population, as many as 1.701.853, in 1980. They dropped to 1.446.935 in 1990. After that there was an acceleration of the decline. The numbers have almost halved, rising to 801.156 in 2000. These are official data, processed by Istat and Federcaccia. The last twenty years have further eroded the hunting sector. The 2017 figure indicated only 543.795 regional members.
And the trend seems to have consolidated by now. The annual decree is an accounting act. The revenues deriving from the taxes paid by Ligurian hunters are in fact divided on the basis of precise percentages. 5%, equal to 38.100 euros this year, goes to recognized hunting associations, which are found in Liguria Federcaccia, (delegated by the others to collect), Arci Caccia, Associazione Libera Caccia, Enalcaccia and Anuu Migratoristi. A 15% is held by the Region, for the tasks of the institute and investigation. The remaining 80% goes to hunting areas and alpine areas, always divided into percentages that must have specific purposes. The decree specifies that at least 25% must use it to exercise administrative functions, 10% for the management of no-hunting areas and wildlife protection oases, another 25% for the prevention and compensation of damage caused by wild animals, 10% for the rescue and recovery of wild animals in difficulty.
And to do this they can sign agreements with environmental protection, agricultural or even hunting associations. To quantify the figures to be recognized for the areas, the Region uses two parameters, both at 50%. The first is the number of hunters, the other takes into consideration the extension of the territory that can be visited. The province of La Spezia is the one that has the least number of hunters, compared to the other three. As for the spaces, in La Spezia you can hunt on 60.081 hectares. Genoa has double this, over 60 thousand in the 1 e 61 thousand in 2. Savona, with its four areas, ranges from 3.358 for the smallest to 53.568 for the largest, settling just below Genoa. The two from Imperia, added together, reach 82.828. The sum recognized by the regional decree for the exercise of the administrative functions of the areas, this year it is 152.400 euros.
The hunting area of La Spezia will receive 25.061 euros. Genoa 1 will have 27.205, Genoa 2 instead 26.172. A total of € 4 will go to the 40.614 areas of Savona, € 33.348 to Imperia. The sum that hunting areas will have to invest in the management of areas where hunting is prohibited e in the wild protection oases it is equal to 60.960. The La Spezia share amounts to 10.025 euros. These are the items detailed in the document. The other two items referred to in the introduction are not quantified in the decree, those for the prevention of damage by wild animals and that for the recovery and rescue of injured wild animals (Il Secolo XIX).