Recent human-bear conflicts in Northern Italy: a review, with considerations of future perspectives
The killing of a runner in Northern Italy by a brown bear (Ursusarctos arctos) and the subsequent investigation of such matterhighlighted a Human-Wildlife Conflict (HWC) that has beenpresent in Trentino since the introduction of bears forconservation during the Life Ursus Project. Such conflict may...
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| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | Italian |
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Fabio Maria Guarino
2023
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| Online Access: | http://www.serena.unina.it/index.php/bornh/article/view/10633 https://doi.org/10.6093/2724-4393/10633 |
| Summary: | The killing of a runner in Northern Italy by a brown bear (Ursusarctos arctos) and the subsequent investigation of such matterhighlighted a Human-Wildlife Conflict (HWC) that has beenpresent in Trentino since the introduction of bears forconservation during the Life Ursus Project. Such conflict may beexacerbated as both human and bear populations get bigger. Inthis paper, I summarize the information we have about the WHCin Trentino, the attacks on humans and the legal proceduresavailable. Several trends (e.g., increase of problematic bears)were already noticed and predicted in the past. The current legalinstruments do not strictly define what a “dangerous bear” is,which lead to very subjective measures. Unless mitigationsolutions are adopted (e.g., bear spray) or expanded (e.g.,communication on the subject), WHC may disrupt the work doneuntil now for bear conservation in the Italian Alps, due to anegative perception from the local population, which seems to beamplified by local politicians. L’uccisione di un runner nell’Italia settentrionale da parte di unorso bruno (Ursus arctos arctos) e l’investigazione che ne èseguita hanno evidenziato il conflitto uomo-natura (Human-Wildlife Conflict, HWC) presente in Trentino sin dall’introduzionedegli orsi per motivi conservazionistici durante il Progetto LifeUrsus. Tali conflitti potrebbero esacerbarsi nel momento in cuientrambe le popolazioni (umana e ursina) aumentano didimensione. In questo articolo, riassumo le informazioni cheabbiamo riguardanti il WHC in Trentino, gli attacchi agli umani e le procedure legalidisponibili. Diverse tendenze (per esempio, l’aumento di orsi problematici) sono state notatee predette già in passato. Gli attuali mezzi legali non definiscono in maniera stretta cosa sia un“orso pericoloso”, il che porta a misure altamente soggettive. A meno che non siano adottatesoluzioni per mitigare il conflitto (per esempio, lo spray anti orso) o altre soluzioni già presentinon sono migliorate (per esempio, la comunicazione sull’argomento orso), il WHC ... |
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