When man is not satisfied with the beauty of nature created by God, but must put his own mark on it, perhaps and absurdly, to thank the Eternal Father for so much beauty, offending both the beauty and the Eternal! It happened in the Pollino National Park, where the face of Jesus Christ was carved in an old trunk of loricate pine. Such things happen when man must always put his own mark everywhere, believing he is doing better than the Eternal Father, or to say here I have been there, or I did this! Now it is hoped that the National Park will investigate to find the author of the damage and impose a severe, indeed very severe, fine, because these havoc to the trees are the worst damage, as if an ancient wall or a landscape can still somehow be restored, this is absolutely not possible due to the damage that is caused to trees by carving or pruning them, whether they are alive or dead.
In Italy and in Europe there is no conservation of Nature; there are only forms of exploitation disguised as "conservation". From tourism to forestry to biological sciences, it's all about planning initiatives apparently in favor of the environment, but which always hide rounds of money! And never hear of money to buy land for conservation purposes! At most we talk about management, which always means manipulation. Life projects are often just the pick for these initiatives; known are those conceived and financed for the management of the Marsican Wolf or Bear (and many others on various topics: the naturalists have thus created the jobs, although often useless or almost useless jobs!).
Now the news reaches us that a Life project will affect the Friuli Cansiglio Forest to re-naturalize it, “aging it” with the presence of trees and dead wood in order to favor saprophytic species: Saproxylic Habitat Network (forest “senescence areas”). An apparently good project, if it were not for the aging of the forest instead of giving it time to do so by preventing cuts and withdrawals in small protection areas, we will even intervene with mechanical means to manipulate the trees, knocking them down or making them crash. Creating clearings then fenced with timber barriers. Capitozzando trees. Digging holes and holes in trees. Looking for trees to kill them.
All operations that will bring very evident human intervention: the aesthetics of an immaculate forest by human works, zero! Forest renaturalized, but with the mark of man everywhere! By now it is also customary to domesticate fauna and flora: all at the materialistic service (because even science is materialistic!) Of man! It is a project that was discussed in a recent streaming conference. In practice, one tries only to anticipate the long times of nature, only by doing so the signs of human interventions will remain visible for a long time and, in practice, it will be an artificialization of the forests; once again instead of leaving them to their natural development (we are talking about public forests) they will manipulate each other. In the meantime, obviously someone will gain from it in jobs and publications! This is Italy and Europe! Wouldn't it be wiser, and certainly less expensive, to use this money to buy private forests so that they can then leave themselves to their free evolution, thus obtaining the same result, albeit in a longer time?
And what about the tourism sector, which also puts its own in it? Now between Piedmont and Liguria they have invented a long path that from Turin would lead to Savona through the hilly complex of Turin, Monferrato, Roero, Langhe and Val Bormida. It will be called "Other Way". Certainly not a bad idea, if it were not that no one cares to protect the beauties that the path will cross (woods, natural features, landscapes), but only works to create or adapt roads and paths, therefore maybe even damage, and contracts and round of money! And go with politics!
In America, where the idea of these long paths was born, the strips of natural environments that are crossed are first safeguarded, then the path is enhanced for recreational tourism purposes (also placing constraints where necessary to avoid excessive impacts on flora and fauna, and on the sensations of human enjoyment: eg control over excess use!).
With us, not even the reverse: enhancement and then protection. Only enhancement! And all the problems of conservation and protection of the places crossed completely ignored. So it may also happen that "the most evocative places of the Turin hills, Monferrato, Langhe and the wooded mountains of the Ligurian hinterland, all territories rich in suggestions", as the media wrote, the user of the path may not see them again. , because in the meantime, the forest has been cut down and so has the monumental tree, altered the place with a new villa, the old ruined villages with modern renovations and the landscape raped by wind farms and solar panels! But that's the way Italy goes! And only private NGOs will remain committed to trying to preserve what is beautiful left or will remain!
Murialdo, 26 June 2021