Application process
A few weeks before the September 2026 deadline for the application of Regulation (EU) 2024/1991 on Restoring Nature According to the European Commission's National Plan for Nature Restoration, which requires each Member State to submit its own National Plan to the European Commission for Validation, our country appears to be lagging behind, especially in terms of engaging all stakeholders—and hunters are undoubtedly among the main ones—on this specific issue. The Italian Hunting Federation therefore expresses particular appreciation for the initiative of Stefania Saccardi, President of the Tuscan Regional Council, who, in collaboration with the CNR-ISC, organized and hosted the conference "Nature Restoration – An Opportunity Not to Be Missed" last Tuesday at the Council headquarters. This conference provided an opportunity for institutions, experts, and the agricultural and hunting worlds to discuss the content and prospects of the Nature Restoration Law.
From words to deeds
"We are finally moving from words to action," emphasized National President Massimo Buconi during his remarks at the working group, "and this moment represents an important step. Hunters want to be actors, not mere spectators, alongside farmers and institutions, so that the Nature Restoration Law can generate concrete opportunities for land management and increased biodiversity. This is an opportunity not to be missed, as I have repeatedly emphasized, and the Federation has always been at the forefront of this issue, engaging with and directly involving the relevant ministries, not least at the conference organized in Perugia in December 2025, where we expressed the same concerns that emerged today." President Buconi clearly expressed his concerns about the participation procedures for gathering comments on the National Restoration Plan envisaged by our country, emphasizing the need to ensure concrete, rather than formal, involvement of stakeholders so that the input of the territories can have a tangible impact on future operational decisions.
Territory management
This concept was also expressed by the President of the Regional Council in her institutional address, in which she emphasized the importance of a broad and structured dialogue on a topic destined to significantly impact land management and production activities. The initiative, structured in two distinct sessions throughout the day, featured numerous qualified speakers, who presented the positions of all relevant sectors. Before a packed hall and an even larger group following the proceedings live, the morning session, moderated by journalist Marco Ramanzini, featured presentations from national and European levels. Presenters included Valentina Siddi of FACE; regional sector managers Marco Ferretti (Tuscany Region), Paolo Genta (Liguria Region), and Alberto Zannol (Veneto Region); Stefano Masini, Coordinator of the Environment and Territory Area of Coldiretti national; Pierangela Angelini of ISPRA; Antonio Maturani, Director General of the MASE Natural Heritage Directorate, and Simona Angelini, Director General of the MASAF Rural Development Directorate.
Panel discussion
The afternoon roundtable discussion, moderated by Michele Bottazzo, was opened by Stefano Focardi of the CNR in Florence, an institute with which Federcaccia has formalized an agreement through the coordination of a working group of experts, including technicians from the FIdC Studies and Research Office, with the specific aim of analyzing the effects of the Regulation's implementation on the habitats of species of particular wildlife hunting interest and developing useful technical proposals. This was followed by presentations by Renato Ferretti (CONAF); Marco Zaccaroni (University of Florence), Monica Tommasi (Friends of the Earth), and Matteo Martinet (ATI Valle d'Aosta). All participants emphasized the need to fully integrate environmental restoration with agricultural and production activities, as well as the importance—underlined in particular by Marco Ferretti of the Tuscany Region—of the full involvement of local authorities, a careful and targeted identification of intervention areas, and a concrete assessment of available tools.
The dialogue between the parties
Also in attendance were the Honorable Marco Simiani, whose remarks offered insights and food for thought, and Marina Berlinghieri of the UNA Foundation. "The discussion confirmed the importance of initiatives like this one promoted by the Tuscany Region," President Buconi commented at the end of the meeting. "They can create a meeting point between diverse yet complementary needs and initiate a shared path toward implementing European legislation. This path is still being defined, and it will be crucial to continue the dialogue among all parties involved to achieve a goal that concerns society as a whole, because a healthier and richer environment is in the interest of all citizens of the country. For our part, we will once again urge the relevant ministries to follow suit. I now await with particular interest the announced final document that will be prepared following the initiative, which will gather and summarize the ideas that emerged during the day, including perspectives, critical issues, and potential points of agreement."
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