The last few weeks have been crucial for the drafting of the Sicilian hunting calendar on the 2018-2019 season. The island's Wildlife Hunting Committee has in fact met to investigate the various dates and guidelines that hunters will have to follow. According to theNational Association of Free Hunting, Hunting Fishing Environment andSicilian Association Hunting and Nature the Region of Sicily it behaved correctly with the period foreseen for the collection of magpies, jays, foxes and wood pigeons.
These species can in fact be killed from the 2 to the 10 February 2019, a forecast that responds to the need to curb the emergency, especially as regards agricultural crops. In addition, the animals just listed have a negative influence on survival of the Sicilian rock partridge, a valuable species. One of the main requests of the three associations, then, concerns the use of the ferret in the field of wild rabbit hunting.
In addition to the calendar, recent hunting discussions have involved the Regional Wildlife Plan, expiring towards the end of 2018. The revision of the document is fundamental, also because the ban on generalist hunting in the Special Protection Areas is not at all welcome (ZPS) and on the Sites of Community Interest (DIH). In the coming days there will therefore be important updates for both texts that Sicilian hunters are waiting for.