With a letter and a technical document, sent to the competent regional institutions, in recent weeks, Federcaccia Calabria has returned to urge the updating of the Provincial Wildlife-Hunting Plans and the drafting of the Regional Wildlife-Hunting Plan.
Federcaccia Calabria, in addition to strongly reiterating the need for planning to be defined in the shortest possible period, sent a preliminary document developed with the technical collaboration of the FIdC Studies and Research Office, through which it submitted a a series of elements that it considers of particular importance and that it deems necessary to be addressed by the PFVR in preparation.
FIdC underlines first of all that the general objective of planning must be the strategic positioning of the PFV in a context of sustainable development that takes into account the necessary containment of problematic species, but also the strengthening and restoration of the habitats of species in difficulty, repopulation, reintroduction and sustainable use of environmental resources, as well as the importance of the active role of the Calabrian hunter community.
In addition to this, the document provides and proposes:
That in the calculation of the agro-forestry-pastoral surface all the anthropized areas, including the roads, are strictly excluded, calculating all the surfaces for the most diverse reasons to prohibit hunting. The need to consider in the PFVR the over-extension of protected areas, as ascertained by the Deliberation of the Regional Technical Commission set up ad hoc in 2003, and already at the time determined at 31%! (now further increased) clearly higher than the maximum ceiling of 57%, as instead set by art. 24, paragraph 5, letter a) of Regional Law no. 2/9. For this reason, it was strongly reiterated that the new planning should not "identify" or "constitute" inhibited areas or areas with hunting limitations, as instead happened with the Incidence Assessment on hunting calendars of the last two years, in relation to which in many areas of the Natura 1996 network a suspension of hunting has been unjustifiably imposed.
The enhancement, as part of the strategies outlined by the PFVR, of the positive social role that the hunter can actively play in the sustainable management of wildlife and habitats, in the preservation of biodiversity, in the containment of problematic wildlife and in particular of alien species, in the prevention of forest fires, in the active role of environmental sentinel for the protection of the natural environment and of biotic components in particular.
The forecast of the use of the hunting world also in the management of the Natura2000 network sites, not limited to those where hunting activities are carried out or control interventions are carried out. Taking into account that the main purpose of the management of Natura 2000 sites is the maintenance of natural habitats and the restoration of these where they have disappeared or degraded. Therefore, hunting can be adequately regulated within some sites, but without absolute prohibitions. It was also asked that the impact assessment shun any "ideological position" aimed at prohibiting human activities, such as hunting, or limiting them in an unmotivated way, enhancing the main purpose of the Natura 2000 network, namely the protection of habitats.
The management of migratory bird species subject to hunting based on scientifically valid data, referable to the regional reality, also through the possibility provided by the Interpretative Guide of the Birds Directive, in paragraph 2.7.10, for the Regions to deviate from the national Key Concepts in setting the opening and closing dates of the hunt for huntable bird species.
Wild boar management inspired by authentic, adequate and updated planning criteria with the main objective of sustainable management of populations and respect for the pre-eminent needs for the protection of agricultural and livestock production, also in light of the needs of prevention of African Swine Fever through a specific regional plan, as foreseen by the recent decree-law of February 17, 2022, n. 9. Federcaccia on the subject will send the Region a special "pilot project", built through a preliminary analysis of the potential and problems, of the technical-faunal and organizational aspects, in the light of the documentation currently available and with the aim of building a System Implementable information and a digitized database.
A revised model for the management of European hare populations and other species of sedentary small game, plans for the introduction of wildlife according to the species and the suitability of the territory, and above all an intervention plan for the restoration and improvement of natural habitats and for the increase of wildlife that has as its primary objective the species subject to national and international management plans. These activities with reference to the recovery of habitats, must primarily involve the Territorial Areas of Hunting and concern actions, both in the huntable territory, and in protected areas with the search for financial resources under the RDP or in specific regional funding and in the funds of the ATC.
Orientation and coordination measures with regional forest planning in synergy with the National Forest Strategy (SFN), the EU Forest Strategy for 2030 and the European Biodiversity Strategy 2030. The PFVR must promote synergistic sustainable and proactive forest management , which enhances the Natural Capital and ecosystem services of the regional forest complex and at the same time preserves the diversity of habitats, through the conservation of ecotones and open spaces in forest areas (Operational Action A.4, Sub-Action A.4. g of the SFN). These measures could have a positive effect both for the increase of species of small sedentary game and of other migratory bird species, with wide positive effects on biodiversity.
Control plans for problematic species such as wild boar, fox, corvids and also other species such as starling, collared dove, alien species, etc., due to their impact on agricultural production, fauna, biodiversity and road accidents. in-depth discussion of both impacts and prevention measures. It is emphasized that the PFVR also provides for the periodic holding of training courses for coadjutor hunters in each province, in order to allow the effective and timely implementation of the control plans.
The provision of Restocking and Capture Areas organized and managed with the aim of creating a real integrated system of wildlife institutes, so that the local populations of the individual species are able to interact with each other, thus constituting a single large population in balance with the environment over vast territories.
Definition, in the drafting of the PFVR, of a specific disciplinary for dog training areas and for dog races and trials, both in the form without killing and with the possibility of killing the wild.
Definition, in the drafting of the PFVR, of the specification with the criteria for the disbursement of compensation for damage from wildlife, as well as the prevention measures, including the wildlife control activities to be activated promptly.
Forecast of the activation of specific wildlife, hunting and management databases digitized in each province.
Analysis of the problems and functions of the Supervisory Bodies in general (institutional and voluntary) in the context of Supervision and combating hunting offenses.
These are some of the topics of particular interest that FIdC Calabria considered it necessary to report, in order to provide a constructive contribution to the drafting of the PFV, reserving further evaluations and recommendations. It is hoped and reiterated that it is necessary to activate an effective interaction with the Region and the Company in charge during the current phase (due to the fact that the community of citizens-hunters represents the social component most interested in the successful outcome of the planning in progress), even before the start of the stakeholder consultation phases envisaged by the SEA procedure (Fidc Calabria).