The pre-opening of the hunting season will begin tomorrow in 16 Italian regions. The WWF reminds us of this, citing the regions where "rather than postponing the opening of the hunting season, early hunting days have been authorized as early as the first few days of September: Sardinia, Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lombardy, Marche, Molise, Piedmont, Puglia, Sardinia, Sicily, Tuscany, Trentino, and Veneto."

Of particular concern, according to the association, is the inclusion of quail, a migratory species that, despite facing particular difficulties due to poaching and habitat loss, will be huntable in some regions even before the season opens, contrary to the European Commission's requests.

"Compounding the national situation," the WWF continues, "is the progressive distancing from the technical and scientific guidance of ISPRA, the Italian National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, which should be the primary scientific reference for wildlife management. In recent years, its role has been progressively supported and weakened by the reconstitution of the National Technical Wildlife and Hunting Committee, a body predominantly represented by the hunting community and whose opinions are increasingly used to justify decisions that diverge from ISPRA's scientific assessments."

(Unioneonline)