Harvests of chestnuts at risk due to the massive presence of wild boar populations that came to the Romagna hills from nearby Tuscany in search of food. To report it is Coldiretti Ravenna after the alarm raised by chestnut growers of the high Faentina hill. In the areas of Casola Valsenio, Riolo Terme and Brisighella, the important efforts and results obtained by ATC Ravenna 3 for the containment of proliferation of ungulates, risk being totally nullified due to the migration of wild animals from the nearby province of Florence where, unlike the Ravenna area, hunters were unable to operate during the period of health emergency linked to Covid.
"Unfortunately - comments Nicola Grementieri, Coldiretti manager for the high Faentina hill - Tuscany in a period of pandemic has not issued any exceptions effectively blocking the boar hunt, this - he continues - also due to a heavy drought that has eliminated the production of acorns in the oak woods, the main food of the wild boar, has meant that massive populations of hungry ungulates have moved even tens of kilometers up to invade woods and hills romagnole for eat chestnuts and chestnuts, the only fruits present in this season, with serious damage for all producers ".
Moreover, it is difficult to counter this massive presence due to the particular situation that the province of Ravenna is experiencing at the level of prevention and containment tools, the only one still lacking 'Control plan' on the boar and consequently defenseless. Without this tool, in fact, farmers cannot implement self-defense and targeted interventions are not possible in the protected areas which are in fact acting as areas where the wild boar can multiply safely and then radiate over the territory.
Moreover, in case of damage caused by wild boar, the chestnut farmers are not compensated because the 'lack of prevention' is absurdly contested, despite the obvious difficulty of fencing chestnut groves which are areas close to the woods and with very important differences in height, "as we repeat every week to the Regional Councilor for Agriculture Alessio Mammi, says Grementieri, it is absolutely It is essential to immediately activate the wild boar control plan for the Province of Ravenna otherwise we will quickly see a historical and typical cultivation of our territory disappear, such as chestnut cultivation. Moreover, he concludes, protecting the many chestnut growers also means safeguard the environment given that with their activity they contribute to the defense and hydrogeological stability of the territory ".