THE BADGER IN ITALY:
CONSERVATION MEASURES
by
Carlo Biancardi
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THE BADGER IN ITALY: by |
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The badger is a species protected by the Italian Law. Full protection to badgers was given by the "Legge quadro sulla caccia" No.968, 27th December 1977. This Act does not permit to take, kill, injure, possess and sell badgers, and many other species of the Italian Wildlife" However, in Lombardy the badger was already protected since the passage of the Regional Council Resolution No. 3999, 29th May 1973. The regional Act forbids to take or kill 214 species of birds and mammals, imposing a fine variable from 2,00 to 100,00 Euros. But laws and acts themselves are not able to warrant a flourishing future for badgers. We have to protect their habitats, and we must do that. A badger without a place to feed or to dig a sett will not survive. In a general way, we have to defend and protect the whole ecosystem. The awareness of our responsibilities is widespread in the public opinion, but, unfortunately, not as much among the Italian governor, even if responsible for the territory management. About the conservation measures, I can point to three main risks for the Italian badgers: First, the destruction of forests and woods, by deforestation or by summer fires, with subsequent inadequate reforestation, can cause a serious loss of habitat. The introduction of alloctone and invasive species can be a serious risk, too. We have, in some areas, evidences of the disturbance suffered by badgers after the introduction of the Wild boar. The third factor is related to the night mobility of badgers. They can walk for
kilometres during one night, over a large territory that, in mountain habitats, can extent in vertical
for several altitude belts (Kruuk & De Kock, 1981). Badgers movements concern mainly the search for
food, they move nightly from the sett to the feeding places and vice-versa. During their movements they
can cross several roads, with high risk of casualties, which are the principal cause of death for
adult badgers (Jefferies, 1975; Lups, 1983). Safeguard structures, like road underpasses, could have a limited cost, if estimated during the planning design of new roads, but could otherwise improve road safety as well as protect many wild animals. References
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