Hunting and Fauna: the Province of Pistoia launches collaborative projects with research institutes aimed at improving wildlife management and agro-forestry balance.
In recent years, the Province of Pistoia has paid great attention to wildlife management; three projects are launched in October with the University of Florence, the University of Pisa, the ISPRA and the Tuscan Ornithological Center within the Oasi Dynamo di Bimestre. In collaboration with the ATC Pistoia 16, despite the difficulties due to the regional regulatory changes (which led to plans for the culling of ungulates restricted in terms of time and quantity), it tried to reduce the presence and disturbances given to farmers and citizens by some wild species (starlings, deer, wild boars, foxes).
At the same time, the management of the Restocking and Capture Areas and of the existing private institutions was strengthened, trying to improve the situation of small sedentary fauna and migratory game. These results will be expanded and strengthened with the approval of the Provincial Wildlife Plan, expected in the coming months.
In the summer months, requests for collaboration were received from some research bodies (University of Florence, University of Pisa and Tuscan Ornithological Center) for participation in three national and international projects.
The Province of Pistoia has therefore made itself available, ensuring administrative, technical and logistical collaboration and identifying the "Dynamo" of Limestre as a place of study (Art. 15 LR 3/94), managed by the Soc. KME in agreement with the Province, which in turn has decided to support the projects. Thanks to the synergies undertaken between the various subjects and the sharing of the objectives to be achieved, the economic contribution given by the Province of Pistoia to all the activities was extremely limited.
The Dinamo Oasis, which extends over about 900 ha in the pre-Apennine environment, in the municipalities of S. Marcello Pistoiese and Piteglio, with a territory between 500 and 1100 m asl, is an optimal area for research and management projects. given the scarce anthropization of the places and the absence of any disturbance, including hunting.
The first project concerns the study of the fox species. The study, carried out by the University of Florence in collaboration with the Higher Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), involves the capture and marking by GPS collar of 8 specimens of adult foxes. Their movements, interactions and living space (home range) will be studied through the data obtained from the GPS satellite systems for the period of 12 months, starting from the month of October. This project, given the high technology of the means provided by the University of Florence, is the first of its kind at European level and could be used by ISPRA for new management guidelines for this species, especially in protected areas.
The second project concerns the creation of a bird ringing station for scientific purposes, in collaboration with the Tuscan Ornithological Center, through professional ringers authorized by ISPRA. Bird ringing is a very important tool in scientific research and environmental management. This technique is based on the individual marking of birds and their re-capture in other nesting stations. Currently this activity is managed nationally by ISPRA. At the European level there is an organization, EURING (European Union for Bird Ringing) which ensures collaboration between the various national centers and standardization of bird ringing for scientific purposes. The station, the first of its kind in the central-northern Apennines, will be active in October, and will be used to monitor the pace of migratory birds. These data, collected by ISPRA, will be useful for the forthcoming revision of the annexes to the European Directive called “Birds”, which is also closely linked to the long-standing issue of the levy in derogation of the avifauna.
The third project concerns the development of a hare census system that can give reliable density estimates even in a mountainous or wooded area. This is because the normal methods of estimating hare populations are carried out, as indicated by the Tuscany Region, with the "spot-light census" technique, ie by illuminating the open areas of a Restocking and Capture Area or of a Company with a beacon. Faunistics. This technique, however, has serious gaps in environments with few viable roads and in any case where the ground does not have open areas. To compensate for this, the University of Pisa will test a new hare census method, also comparing it with the classical methods. If the study is successful, the method will be exportable to the whole national mountain reality for the estimation of the stock of hares in the wild.
Through these projects, the Pistoia mountain area becomes a national and European protagonist of research and study on wildlife. The projects will be presented to all interested parties in a special meeting. The meeting will take place on 5 October 2012 at 10.00 at the Dynamo Camp in Limestre.
3 September 2012
Province of Pistoia