An important ruling by the Lazio TAR marks a turning point in the management of wildlife in Italy. The Court accepted the appeal presented by various associations including ENPA, LAV, WWF Italy, LIPU, OIPA, LEIDAA and LNDC Animal Protection, canceling three fundamental points of the Extraordinary Plan for the management and containment of wildlife wanted by the Government in 2023. The decision suspends provisions that would have paved the way for massive, indiscriminate and potentially illegal interventions, clarifying that compliance with national and European regulations remains essential.
Exceptions and indiscriminate culling rejected
The TAR declared illegitimate the parts of the Plan that prevented the use of alternative methods for some “paraautochthonous” species, wrongly treated as invasive species. Furthermore, the exemption which allowed the main prohibitions on wildlife protection contained in the art to be ignored was cancelled. 21 of Law 157/1992 and in European legislation.
This decision confirms that any control activity must respect precise constraints, avoiding indiscriminate culling and the use of non-selective tools, ensuring that the protection of biodiversity cannot be overcome by exceptional rules.
Park autonomy and compliance with European law
Another key point of the ruling concerns the possibility of placing regional park authorities under commissionership if they do not apply the Plan within six months. The TAR declared this measure illegitimate, underlining the protection of the autonomy of the parks and respect for the legislative framework.
The ruling also reiterates that any capture or killing of protected species must only take place when no alternative solutions exist, a principle that also applies to the wolf, which has recently been the subject of political debate regarding its protection status.
A victory for science and legality
The associations involved defined the ruling as a victory for wildlife, for science and for legality, underlining how the Extraordinary Plan contained anti-scientific provisions that would have allowed indiscriminate killing by any means.
Now the Regions’ task will be to adapt the management plans to the principles established by the TAR, respecting European and national standards, while the associations will continue to carefully monitor the application of the ruling to prevent violations and guarantee the protection of biodiversity.
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