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 Europe, there is no such thing as nature conservation; only forms of exploitation disguised as "conservation." From tourism to forestry to biological sciences, everything is designed to seemingly benefit the environment, but always conceals money-making! And never once is there a mention of money being spent to acquire land for conservation purposes! At most, it's management, which always amounts to manipulation. Life projects are often the key to these initiatives; well-known are those designed and funded for the management of the wolf or the Marsican brown bear (and many others on various topics: this has created jobs for naturalists, albeit often useless or nearly so!).
Now we've received news that a Life project will involve the Cansiglio Forest in Friuli to renaturalize it, "aging" it with trees and deadwood to favor saprophytic species: Saproxylic Habitat Network (forest senescence areas). A seemingly good project, except that, rather than giving the forest time to age by preventing felling and harvesting in small protected areas, mechanical means will be used to manipulate the trees, felling them or causing them to collapse. Clearings will then be created, fenced off with wooden barriers. Trees will be topped. Trees will be dug into holes and cavities. Trees will be ring-fenced to kill them.
All these operations will clearly reveal human intervention: the aesthetics of a forest untouched by human intervention, zero! A renaturalized forest, but with the mark of man everywhere! Even domesticating flora and fauna is now commonplace: everything in the materialistic service (because science is also materialistic!) of man! It's a project discussed in a recent livestreamed conference. In practice, the aim is simply to anticipate nature's long-term evolution, but by doing so, the signs of human intervention will remain visible for a long time, and, in essence, it will be an artificialization of forests; once again, instead of leaving them to develop naturally (we're talking about public forests), they will be manipulated. In the meantime, obviously, someone will gain in jobs and publications! That's the way Italy and Europe are going! Wouldn't it be wiser, and certainly less costly, to use this money to purchase private forests so they can then be left to their own devices, thus achieving the same result, albeit over a longer period of 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!).
Here, not even the reverse: enhancement and then protection. Only enhancement! And all the conservation and protection issues of the places it passes through are completely ignored. So it could also happen that "the most evocative places of the Turin hills, of Monferrato, of the Langhe, and of the wooded mountains of the Ligurian hinterland, all territories rich in charm," as the media have written, the trail user may never see again, because in the meantime, the forest has been cut down and with it the monumental tree, the site has been altered with a new villa, the ancient villages have been ruined by modern renovations, and the landscape has been ravaged by wind farms and solar panels! But that's Italy! And only private NGOs will remain committed to trying to preserve what beauty has remained or will remain!
Murialdo, 26 June 2021
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