World water day
"Water is life", an overused slogan, but little understood and above all little applied. In the context of global warming, we have been witnessing drought phenomena for years, accompanied by floods and water bombs, with the harmful consequences that we now see frequently. The sealing of the land, a consequence of the consumption of agricultural and natural soil, the cementing of watercourses, the lack of river "expansion tanks" in many areas lead to the water impoverishment of the soils and the advancement of the salt wedge in coastal areas. The disappearance of wetlands, in particular those of the coasts, increases this phenomenon, facilitating the desertification of the land and therefore increasing the demand for water for agricultural uses and human consumption.
Wetlands International
We report two sentences taken from the website of the prestigious Wetlands International body, which make the problem and the need to intervene clear:
"Wetlands cover a small percentage of the earth's surface, yet they are essential systems: they are the arteries and veins of the landscape. They are rich in nature and vital for human life. They are sources of water and purifiers. They protect our coasts. They are the largest natural carbon deposits on the planet. They are essential for agriculture and fishing. A world without wetlands is a world without water".
"Demand for water is growing at more than double the rate of population growth. The competition between water for human consumption, agriculture and energy is intensifying. By improving water sharing and restoring wetlands, water supplies can be safeguarded".
The role of hunting
What is the role of hunters in this picture? No category of people has contributed more privately than hunters to the restoration and conservation of wetlands in Italy and around the world. Think of the American association Ducks Unlimited which in the United States has restored and manages tens of thousands of hectares of wetlands. In Italy, a survey by ACMA-Federcaccia has shown that in 4 Italian regions hunters have restored or conserved 24.384 hectares of wetlands, including hunting valleys and fixed hunting posts on artificial lakes. A network of functional ecosystems for the resting, feeding and reproduction of thousands of aquatic birds and a water resource for various animal species and which contrasts the extreme phenomena of drought and torrential rains. An obvious example are the hunting valleys of the Venice Lagoon and the Po Delta, coastal environments where the conservation of natural habitats for hunting purposes allows the presence of fresh-brackish water reserves, preventing the grassing and disappearance of wetlands .
FIDC's point of view
Federcaccia hopes that the Italian, European and world governments implement a policy of water resource conservation, which contemplates the arrest of soil consumption and the overbuilding of watercourses, the restoration of wetlands with greater recognition of the role of hunting in the conservation of these essential environments and the involvement of hunters in these actions (Italian Hunting Federation Press Office).
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