The hunting season on the island turns into a real administrative and legal tug of war, resulting in a verdict that sounds like a bitter defeat for those who hoped for the protection of wildlife. The matter began on Friday 30 October, when the third section of the Regional Administrative Court for Sicily filed sentence number 2953.
From the historic ruling of the TAR to the new regional provision
The administrative judges had accepted the appeal presented by the National Pro Natura Federation and the LEAL Antivivisectionist League, supported by the associations CABS, Green Impact and Activists Gruppo Randagio. The ruling annulled the decree issued on 21 May 2026, blocking with immediate effect the doubles throughout the regional territory due to the absence of an updated wildlife and hunting plan, stuck in the distant five-year period 2013-2018 in light of the obligation to review every 5 years provided for by regional law 33 of 1997.
The jubilation of environmentalist associations and citizens, who had welcomed the ruling as a historic victory in defense of Article 9 of the Constitution and the precautionary principle, clashed with the lightning-fast response of regional institutions. In fact, on Tuesday 10 November, the regional councilor for Agriculture, Rural Development and Mediterranean Fisheries Luca Sammartino signed the new decree approving the hunting calendar for the 2026-2027 season. The document, which obtained the positive opinion of ISPRA (Higher Institute for Environmental Protection and Research), was immediately published on the department’s portal and as an extract in the Official Journal of the Sicilian Region, effectively eliminating the effects of the judicial block.
The political and hunting reactions and the environmental protests
The signing of the new decree sparked immediate political and social conflict. Councilor Luca Sammartino defended the decision by underlining how the reopening took place in full compliance with environmental regulations and in the interest of the territory. In support of the provision, Nino Germanà, Sicilian secretary of the League, intervened and claimed the efficiency of the regional government’s action, highlighting how the record approval by ISPRA put an end to 10 days of controversy and paralysis. Before the signing of the new calendar, the hunters’ organizations had also mobilised: Federcaccia Sicilia, together with Federcaccia Nazionale and other acronyms in the sector, had announced an appeal to the Administrative Justice Council to contest the decision of the Regional Administrative Court of Palermo.
The rapid resolution of the situation represents a serious blow to the protection of biodiversity and the island’s ecosystem. Activists and protectionist associations denounce how the immediate restart of hunting activities deprives wild animals of the protection guaranteed by the judges, allowing the use of weapons in the absence of wildlife planning updated to current scientific data. The institutional haste in giving the green light to rifles leaves a deep regret in the field, confirming how the reasons for hunting have prevailed over the needs of conservation of nature and local fauna.
