Changes of all kinds
The Lupo on the Pisan hills and its presence is the highest ever attested for over three centuries. The news comes from a study conducted by the Department of Veterinary Sciences of the University of Pisa recently published in Human Dimensions of Wildlife. The research traces the evolution of the presence of the wolf in the Pisan hills between the 17th and 21st centuries in relation to the socio-economic, environmental and cultural changes of the territory. The picture that emerges marks a progressive decline of this animal with a phase of local extinction immediately after the Second World War, until its recovery in the 21st century. There are two fundamental causes of the phenomenon: the reduction of the forest (and prey) caused by the increase in agricultural areas and the persecution exercised by man.
Crucial historical moments
In more detail, the research highlighted that the trend of the wolf population in the Pisan hills was marked by three crucial historical moments: the beginning of the Lorraine domination of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany (1737), the Unification of Italy (1861 ) and the agrarian reform of 1950. In the XNUMXth century the wolf was widespread in the Pisan hills and hunting was intensely practiced to protect transhumant livestock. The expansion of agricultural activity with deforestation and reclamation begun by the Lorena family up until the unification of Italy therefore brought about a profound change in the rural landscape with the consequent decline of wolves, leading to local extinction during the Second World War. However, starting from the second half of the XNUMXth century, the agrarian reform marked the beginning of a gradual restoration of the natural environment which led to a recolonization by the wolf of almost the entire territory of the Pisan hills.
Know and understand
“The idea of this research was born from the curiosity to know and understand the history of this predator on the Pisan hills after the presence of a herd was unexpectedly ascertained in the Crespina-Lorenzana and Casciana Terme-Lari area in October 2018 ” said the professor of the University of Pisa Antonio Felicioli. The historical and current presence of the wolf on the Pisan hills was outlined by the research group coordinated by Professor Felicioli, putting together current detection methods, such as camera traps and genetic analyses, alongside a meticulous examination of historical and archival sources. The historical analysis has also led to the identification of 14 toponyms in the Pisan hills that recall the presence of this carnivore, some of which, such as "Salto del Lupo", are still used today. Again to reconstruct the historical picture, the hunting reports in the various newspapers of the time were also fundamental, from the eighteenth-century "Gazzetta Toscana" to "Diana", the main hunting magazine of the twentieth century.
Renaturalization of the territory
“The current presence of the wolf in the Pisan hills is the result of a natural recolonization by this predator which occurred following a process of renaturalization of the territory which allowed a return of wild fauna to pre-nineteenth-century levels – underlines Dr. Francesca Coppola, first author of the article and currently a research fellow at the University of Pisa - the hope is to promote awareness of the importance of environmental "restoring" and "rewilding" processes and at the same time to slow down "the irrational wave emotional" that pushes towards killing the wolf". Together with Antonio Felicioli and Francesca Coppola, Alessia Di Rosso, graduated in Animal Production with a PhD in Veterinary Sciences, Chiara Benedetta Boni, graduated in Conservation and Evolution and PhD student in Veterinary Sciences, Samuele Baldanti, agronomist and forestry doctor and freelancer in the wildlife field, Michele Malasoma involved with the Agroecology desk for the study and conservation of wild fauna in the Pisan mountain, and Cosimo Gabbani, nature enthusiast and expert ornithologist (Source CIDIC press office - Center for innovation and diffusion of culture University of Pisa).