Wild boar hunting - In recent years the topic "boar”Has taken on many facets and has been enriched with many aspects. The containment of damage with ecological methods has not proved effective for most of the contexts in which it has been applied, increasingly configuring the need for a numerical containment of the species. The control operations that have been implemented have triggered the most disparate reactions from the agricultural and hunting world: there are those who consider them insufficient, those to be intensified, those an extension of the hunting "out of season", those enemies of traditional hunted, and so on. The fact is that the problem still exists, indeed, it grows, and in areas that are not suitable for density equal to zero is only a distant, unattainable mirage. In protected areas, such as national parks, the issue is even more delicate: the conservation of the ecosystem and the integration with anthropic activities such as particular crops, make the presence of the wild boar a delicate compromise to be respected. In this sense, the Pollino National Park has for several years been a forerunner in the control of the wild boar species, through the establishment of a group of selecontrollers to which containment operations are entrusted.
Between Calabria and Basilicata, inserted between the Tyrrhenian and the Ionian, the Pollino National Park is the largest protected area in Italy, for a total of 190.000 ha, shared by the provinces of Cosenza, Potenza e Matera. The park, which takes its name from the Massif of the Pollino, includes 56 municipalities. The main heritage of the Pollino are the forests that extend for about 40.000 hectares of surface: on the slopes of the mountains, beech, chestnut and Turkey oak forests prevail. At the lower altitudes there is the deciduous forest, which is replaced by the coniferous forest. The most characteristic plant association of the park is represented by larch, spruce and stone pine forests. In addition to these, although less numerous, we find one of the rare Apennine stations of silver fir and mountain pine. At the edge of the arboreal vegetation, there is a bush of rhododendrons.
The most interesting feature is the presence, at the highest altitudes, of the main Italian station of Bosnian pine, a very rare species in Italy: this real living fossil is a robust and massive tree that grows not too tall, squat and twisted due to of the atmospheric conditions it has to endure. The faunal heritage of the Pollino Park includes the golden eagle, the Apennine wolf, the Orsomarso roe deer, the black woodpecker, the peregrine falcon, the eagle owl and the imperial crow and, last but not least, the wild boar. The Pollino Park also hosts numerous agricultural activities, often seriously damaged by the wild boars present. Since for a long time a large part of the Park's active budget was allocated for the reimbursement of damages suffered by farmers, the Park Authority has undertaken a control initiative by means of culling. I was able to personally meet Dr. Dominic Pappaterra, president of the Park Authority. With unparalleled courtesy and competence he wanted to answer the questions I asked him. Below is an excerpt from our chat.
"The problem boar it is still very much felt throughout the national territory. The media daily provide us with images of swine reaching into the heart of the big cities. Here in the Park the presence of wild boar continues to be an open problem, although in recent years the management implemented has brought tangible improvements.
When I arrived, in 2008, I ran into a real emergency situation: the farmers were in great difficulty, their production activity was severely damaged by the presence of the wild boar. At that moment we had to cope with the situation by undertaking a containment activity by means of abatements, all however in the absence of a real estimate of the population and studies technical-wildlife. At that moment it was necessary to act promptly and effectively. Hunters trained for this purpose by the province of Cosenza with regard to Calabria and by the institution were involved Wildlife with regard to Basilicata. At the same time as the implementation of the selection hunt in terms of control, ecological containment means were also adopted, such as the so-called manhole covers. However, the latter method did not produce the desired effects. The tenders for the acquisition of manhole covers have been deserted several times and the same devices were not able to capture an adequate number of animals. Probably the extension of the Park is not favorable to these methodologies. After the first phase 2009-2011 we realized that the methods adopted were not sufficient and, in collaboration with theISPRA, a new plan has been drawn up: the introduction of the method of shooting with a limer dog has considerably improved the results of the withdrawals in numerical terms, exceeding 5000 animals since the introduction of the new wildlife hunting plan. At the same time, the amount of damages reimbursed to farmers has decreased by more than 50%, to the great satisfaction of farmers. The sums saved thanks to the reduction of damages have not been transferred to other budget items but have been reinvested in the same area, financing part of the fences that farmers have equipped themselves with. This was a strategic investment, since the farmers themselves subsidized in adopting ecological methods of damage containment will not find themselves swelling the ranks of those seeking annual compensation.
In light of the high numbers of abatements carried out, we are evaluating the possibility of setting up a management system for the future game meats, and this requires close integration with the ASLs and other bodies responsible for food safety.
In conclusion, I can express great personal and group satisfaction for the results obtained and for the fruitful collaboration with the hunting world which, with its culture, tradition and passion for nature, has put itself at the service of the protection of this enormous and wonderful National Park".
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