The hunters save the pastures of Montegrino Valtravaglia (VA) from the woods and return them to the cows for the pasture.
Three years ago the project to create a food reserve for hares and deer: away the trees and again the grass. But for two weeks a farmer has been using the meadows for pasture in the mountain pastures as if we were in Valtellina.
At first glance one would think: “Good hunters. They feed wild animals, create habitats and reserves and then shoot hares and mouflons ”. For a few braces it will also be like this. But on the Sette Termini mountains, in Montegrino Valtravaglia, ten hectares of wood have been transformed into pastures where the cows have also returned to the pastures, as in the past. They arrived two weeks ago: they eat grass, make milk, fertilize the soil and ensure the survival of this area. A piece of Switzerland in our home.
“My father, if he were still among us, would have tears in his eyes: forty years ago he went to bring his animals and graze here. Then, in the 80s, this place was let go and turned into a forest. And now we have saved him ”.
Giovanni Bianchi, 49, has a little bit of Magone to remember these things. It is he who, together with other hunters belonging to ATC1, the territorial area 1 into which the province is divided, rolled up his sleeves and began to cut trees and transform what was once a forest into a paradise for walks, hikes, pic -nic and, of course… in a delicious dish for wild animals and cows.
The project is called Vapamont and started three years ago. Today the fruits are harvested. But how is it possible to transform a piece of wood into a meadow in such a short time? And is it really useful for animals? The answer lies in a scientist's explanation. Marco Magni is an agronomist who has dealt with the rebirth of the Sette Termini: in all there are 10 hectares brought back to the woods.
“The area needed to be cleared of the forest: it is an area of 100 square meters which is now pasture. We began to carry out the major interventions, to then clean the undergrowth of ferns and restore the pasture. There remained the problem of keeping the work done. And with the arrival of the cows on the pasture, this goal is guaranteed. And not only that: it is also sustainable since the grass is cut naturally, and fertilized, also attracting many species of birds that find shelter here ". What about wild animals?
"The purpose was precisely to offer a protected area for deer, roe deer, mouflons, hares: animals that need pasture and that if they can't find food, especially at certain times of the year, go down to the valley, sometimes causing few problems. In this way we have restored an important source of supply, creating pasture at high altitude ”.
According to Magni, the result of the Seven Terms is appreciable. “It is the first case of this type in the province of Varese: from the forest to pasture in three years. This is a flattering result made possible by the funding of Atc1, the Province of Varese and ANUU. There is another similar project, financed by the region, in Porto Valtravaglia, where however for this year an agreement has not yet been reached with the breeders and therefore the cows and calves have not been "cut".
Source: VareseNews