The contribution of Alpbionet2030 to the wildlifemanagement strategies in the Italian Alps.

Chamonix – 8-9 October 2019

Paolo MOLINARIProgetto Lince Italia – Università di Torino

One of the most important reasons to save the connectivity of environments and therefore of animal populations,

is to guarantee continuity and variability - to prevent demographic and genetic impoverishment, thus reducing a species to survive in small isolated occurrences with the risk of local disappearance or even extinction.

Once conservation was focused on species -a species conservation strategy, later much work was done on habitat conservation.

However, since it is not realistic to preserve all the habitats because human activities are using many of them intensively and have caused a profound fragmentation,

the development of a connectivity strategy between the still intact areas has taken on great importance.

And in addition, when it is not possible to preserve or revitalize environmental interleaves or wide corridors, we must at least think about a connection strategy, about “stepping stones”.

The conservation strategies of biodiversity - of wildlife - in the Italian Alps are a great commitment and a constant challenge.

Considering that the Alps are the most populated and most fragmented mountain chain in the world and considering that almost 30% of these, from the extreme western border with France to the extreme eastern border with Slovenia, are on Italian territory, it is well understandable how big this challenge is.

The Italian strategy of conservation of species and environments starts from a careful and constant monitoring activity,

which allows not only to describe the status well, but also to lay the foundations for the best choices in management and conservation strategies.

The new SAPA report is just one of the proof, as the monitoring in Italy is considered strategic and is conducted with seriousness.

In the context of these Italian, Alpine and European strategies, the idea and the Alpbionet2030 project have certainly represented an excellent opportunity to bring the same issues to a single discussion table –

with the aim to find common conservation strategies beyond administrative and political boundaries, that very often represent a hindrance to the effectiveness of the technical choices made.

The fact that different regions have different tools to measure and improve biodiversity, makes it much more complicated to realize an integrative concept for the protection of ecosystems and biodiversity within the Alps, a unique landscape rich in valuable habitats and structures, but endangered by over-exploitation and development.

This especially concerns if we talk about wild animals, wide ranging species, that cover areas including more than one country.

Just as an example the home range of some brown bears that cover the entire area of the three borders Italy, Austria and Slovenia . . . and we could say the same about wolves and lynx, but also red deer, chamois or ibex, bearded vultures and golden eagles and many other species . . .

ITA

A

SLO

The overall objective to consolidate and enhance transnational cooperation in the field of nature conservation while providing a harmonized concept of preserving natural habitats and common planning tools to realize a high level of ecological connectivity for wildlife conservation,

has led the Italian side to identify some issues to be developed. In the following a summary . . .

The actions I’m going to present were included in the Work Package WP T2 Alpine Wildlife

management strategy and

managed by the Research

Institute of Wildlife Ecology

(Vienna) FIWI.

The aim was to develop a harmonized

approach for wildlife management across the

Alps.

The first example speaks of the impact caused by climate change on the migratory routes of birds, a topic with implications in many other fields and of a very wide range.

The main objective was to provide a review on the state of knowledge.

A careful analysis has been made on the data obtained focusing on the evidence available and highlighting lack of information.

There have therefore been highlighted some points for further field research and reviews which could be carried out by single protected areas through a general strategy developing best practices.

The second example of an

Italian Alpbionet2030 Action

foresees several field visits,

starting from the project

working regions (PWR), aimed

at verifying whether the SACA

mapping correctly reports the

local situation and identifying

specific adaptation measures

and recommendations for the

implementation of ecological

connectivity in these areas.

This extra Italian field visit seeks to

strengthen the involvement of the

SAPA Network in the project, in

particular the protected areas

involved and to consolidate and

further develop the results in the

field of ecological connectivity

achieved by the network in the

framework of the Alpine

Convention and EUSALP, and other

activities carried out in the Italian

Alpine area.

Therefore, the intention of the field visit was to

encourage a debate on the current situation of

ecological connectivity in the Italian Alps and on

existing instruments for mapping the connectivity

(tools, platforms, databases, interventions, projects,

research, etc.) through an exchange with local

experts and stakeholders working on ecological

connectivity issues.

The third example is a very concrete example of cross-border management of wildlife – between Italy and Slovenia.

However, from a region where cross-border cooperation has a long tradition.

In addition - to discover common management problems and develop common management strategies, one of the main objectives was to stimulate the willingness for collaboration between different stakeholders in the two neighboring countries.

Furthermore, the project partners are working on

mapping and analyzing varying Alpine wildlife

management systems and impacts on Ecological

Connectivity considering the distribution of wide-

ranging game species.

An important conclusion of the process was that the need for coordinated management of the population of ibex and chamois is present on both sides and the proposed vision is a good basis for further work.

On the basis of a common desire this process it’s continuing - and the first operational management tools is going to be developed.

A fourth example that I would like to bring to your attention is a project that was actually coordinated by the FIWI from Vienna, but which saw an important role of the Italian partner in a project that saw the three countries of the “Three Borders” area being involved: - Italy, Austria and Slovenia.

Wildlife crime, illegal killing and trade of protected and endangered species can deeply inhibit population dynamics and create, where deeply rooted, real barriers to natural dispersion.

Therefore, workshops on forensic and wildlife

crimes were hold to build capacity and inform

on documenting and combating wildlife crime

for national & regional wildlife crime unit.

The acquisition of the most modern investigation techniques and a strong cross-border collaboration can lead to excellent results, giving a tangible contribution to conservation.

A further important contribution to the connectivity issues for wildlife was given by the issues coordinated by Eurac and addressed in the . . .

. . . Work Package WP T5 Alpine mediation strategy for human-nature coexistence

Given that conflict between humans and wildlife is one of the most widespread and intractable issues that conservation biologists are facing today, in a series of workshops a huge diversity of situations and species - and variety of situations, different impacts and implications from ecological, economic, social and legal points of view was analyzed.

A good analysis of the problems and possible solutions emerged . . .

Finally, even if only through indirect actions, not part of Alpbionet2030 but somehow connected through the network cooperation of the various public bodies and institutions responsible for the management and protection of wildlife, . . .

. . . it should be noted that Italy has given and continues to make a great contribution to the connectivity process in the Alps with two further group of activities.

The first is linked to the accurate actions of management and conservation of large waterways, whose natural course keeps alive the exceptional and natural migration corridors, very precious for connectivity and wildlife.

The conservation effort of the Tagliamento river as a classic example . . .

The second represents all the study and management actions implemented for the conservation of large carnivores, species with a wide range of action, in particular on the front of dispersion and migration on the border between the Alps and the Dinaric Mountains, and that during several international projects have developed excellent knowledge and best practices.

Coming to a conclusion, what the actions related to connectivity and wildlife concern,

after having highlighted the results and the positivity,

it is necessary to underline what has not emerged sufficiently and what will be deepened - understood as a prospect and hope for the future.

In the general analysis and discussions on connectivity for wildlife some species have been considered - but especially in relation to the objectives of this project unfortunately not carefully considered some of the most important.

Important in terms of biodiversity, in the ecological role, as excellent indicators for connectivity given their wide spatial behavior, but also as flagship, umbrella and keystone species. The large carnivores!

The hope is that in the future they will be included in the works - that the conservation needs will be considered and acquired the knowledge already gathered in this sector that in terms of spatial and territorial management have already collected excellent experiences.

A second wish to highlight and that is linked to a concrete question that has been addressed by various administrators of public and strategic bodies dealing with the environment –

- is that the experiences gathered in this process have a continuity with a translation in practice on the territory with measurable actions for connectivity and biodiversity on the field.

The concrete question was: -

What is the contribution of the Alpbionet2030 project really for ecological connectivity and wildlife conservation?

The answer is . . . a lot of networking, exchange of experiences, description of strategies, many good ideas and intentions for future actions . . . but practically on the field . . . not too much!

In the eyes of those who take care of the environment in the field and every day all this is good . . . . . . but not good enough.

There is a certain lack of a concrete part with direct practical implications, of operational management tools – and the wish is to deepen these aspects . . .

Does this show that the project was weak or useless?

Absolutely not - the project had good intentions and has produced good outputs, but the practical implementation on the territory with useful and concrete implications for wildlife and improving connectivity remains lacking.Here we must insist on the future . . .

The contribution and the quality of a project also lies in the fact that in addition to what it does and the goals it achieves, its final analysis also shows what still remains to be done . . .

Therefore the above (the various limits) is not to be understood as a criticism - rather as an important evidence emerged from the work of the project . . .

Processes like these remain - at the level of human dimension - acrobatic actions made of sensitivity, will, objectives and different needs . . . and the goal is to find a meeting point.

We cannot conclude by not saying that in the end with Alpbionet 2030 the best bases are laid to deal dynamically and competently with the great challenges that connectivity still awaits us and that are so important for the conservation of biodiversity in the Alps.

In this sense to all goes many thanks for the efforts and the wish of all the best – in bocca al lupo - for the next steps.

Thanks for

your attention