The management of livestock that uses alpine farms and pastures significantly influences the probability of predation by large carnivores (bear, wolf, lynx etc.), representing one of the main critical issues for livestock owners in the northern-oriental Italian Alps. Attacks on livestock threaten the use of pastures in mountain regions, favoring their abandonment, making effective management interventions necessary to mitigate human-carnivore conflicts and improve their coexistence. This thesis work considered this problem by taking, as a study area, a large sample of alpine farms in the northeastern Alpine region of Friuli Venezia Giulia. In the period between June and October 2023, we interviewed 58 farmers in the region, during or at the end of the grazing season, using a questionnaire that aimed to find out the type of livestock grazing, the methods of managing the grazing animals and the measures implemented to prevent any predation. The results showed that 43.1% of interviewed raised exclusively cattle, 15.6% raised both cattle and sheep and goats and 12.1% focused exclusively on small ruminant sheep/goats. Pasture management practices saw the use of free grazing for 41%, 48% adopted rotationally managed grazing with the presence of shepherds or electrified fences, while 10% used a mixed grazing system: free/managed in rotation. All farmers interviewed have implemented one (7%) or more prevention measures (93%) against possible predation. A statistical analysis of the data collected using Bayesian generalized linear models revealed that the presence of sheep and goats significantly increases the probability of attacks (β = 1.7, SE = 0.6, p = 0.004), so as the probability of observing a greater number of preyed individuals (β = 1.6, SE = 0.5, p = 0.005). The probability of observing fewer preyed animals was significantly higher among farmers who adopted the free grazing system (β = -1.4, SE = 0.6, p = 0.02) and used fixed fences to protect livestock (β = -2.9, SE = 1.3, p = 0.04). The results underlined the presence of a conflictual situation in the study area, with herdsmen showing great frustration towards the constant danger to which their livestock are subjected. The need for measures aimed at mitigation and prevention is underlined, in particular for agricultural companies mainly focused on the breeding of sheep and goats, highlighting however how many of these are difficult to use in many territorial areas due to the slope and difficult orography of the land. Finally yet importantly, the implementation of some of these solutions to protect livestock requires additional time and work to the already heavy load that the herdsman must do during the livestock-herding season.
La gestione del bestiame che utilizza gli alpeggi e i pascoli di montagna influenza in modo significativo la probabilità di predazione da parte dei grandi carnivori (orso, lupo, lince ecc.), rappresentando una delle principali criticità per i proprietari di bestiame nelle Alpi italiane nord-orientali. Gli attacchi al bestiame minacciano l’utilizzo dei pascoli nelle regioni montane giocando a favore del loro abbandono, rendendo necessari interventi di gestione efficaci per mitigare i conflitti uomo-carnivori e migliorarne la coesistenza. Il presente lavoro di tesi ha considerato questa problematica prendendo come area di studio un ampio campione degli alpeggi monticati nella regione alpina nord-orientale Friuli Venezia Giulia. Nel periodo giugno - ottobre 2023 sono stati intervistati 58 allevatori della regione, nel corso o al termine della stagione di alpeggio, utilizzando un questionario che mirava a conoscere il tipo di bestiame alpeggiato, le modalità di gestione degli animali al pascolo e le misure attuate per prevenire eventuali predazioni. I risultati hanno evidenziato che il 43,1% degli intervistati allevava esclusivamente bovini, il 15,6% sia bovini che ovicaprini e il 12,1% si concentrava esclusivamente sui piccoli ruminanti ovini/caprini. Le pratiche di gestione dei pascoli vedevano l’utilizzo del pascolo libero per 41%, il 48% che adottava il pascolo gestito a rotazione con la presenza di pastori o recinzioni elettrificate, mentre il 10% utilizzava un sistema di pascolo misto: libero/gestito a rotazione. Tutti gli allevatori intervistati hanno implementato una (7%) o più misure di prevenzione (93%) nei confronti di possibili predazioni. Un’analisi statistica dei dati raccolti mediante l’utilizzo di modelli lineari generalizzati bayesiani ha rivelato che la presenza di pecore e capre aumenta significativamente la probabilità di attacchi (β = 1,7, SE = 0,6, p = 0,004), così come la probabilità di osservare un numero maggiore di individui predati (β = 1,6, SE = 0,5, p = 0,005). La probabilità di osservare un minore numero di capi predati era significativamente più alta tra gli allevatori che adottavano il sistema di pascolo libero (β = -1,4, SE = 0,6, p = 0,02) e utilizzavano recinzioni fisse per proteggere il bestiame (β = -2,9, SE = 1,3, p = 0,04). I risultati hanno sottolineato la presenza di una situazione conflittuale nell’area di studio, con i malgari che evidenziano una grossa frustrazione nei confronti del costante pericolo a cui il proprio bestiame viene sottoposto. Viene sottolineata la necessità di misure mirate alla mitigazione e prevenzione, in particolare per le aziende agricole principalmente focalizzate sull’allevamento di ovini e caprini evidenziando tuttavia come molte di queste risultino difficilmente utilizzabili in molti ambiti territoriali a causa della pendenza e della difficile orografia del terreno. Non ultimo il fatto che l’implementazione di alcune di queste soluzioni a difesa del bestiame richiedono tempo e lavoro aggiuntivo al già gravoso carico che il malgaro deve sobbarcarsi nel corso della stagione di monticazione del bestiame.
ANALISI DELLE PREDAZIONI DEI GRANDI CARNIVORI SUL BESTIAME ALPEGGIATO NELLA REGIONE FRIULI VENEZIA GIULIA E VALUTAZIONE DELL’EFFICACIA DI ALCUNE MISURE PREVENTIVE
SARTOR, PIETRO
2023/2024
Abstract
The management of livestock that uses alpine farms and pastures significantly influences the probability of predation by large carnivores (bear, wolf, lynx etc.), representing one of the main critical issues for livestock owners in the northern-oriental Italian Alps. Attacks on livestock threaten the use of pastures in mountain regions, favoring their abandonment, making effective management interventions necessary to mitigate human-carnivore conflicts and improve their coexistence. This thesis work considered this problem by taking, as a study area, a large sample of alpine farms in the northeastern Alpine region of Friuli Venezia Giulia. In the period between June and October 2023, we interviewed 58 farmers in the region, during or at the end of the grazing season, using a questionnaire that aimed to find out the type of livestock grazing, the methods of managing the grazing animals and the measures implemented to prevent any predation. The results showed that 43.1% of interviewed raised exclusively cattle, 15.6% raised both cattle and sheep and goats and 12.1% focused exclusively on small ruminant sheep/goats. Pasture management practices saw the use of free grazing for 41%, 48% adopted rotationally managed grazing with the presence of shepherds or electrified fences, while 10% used a mixed grazing system: free/managed in rotation. All farmers interviewed have implemented one (7%) or more prevention measures (93%) against possible predation. A statistical analysis of the data collected using Bayesian generalized linear models revealed that the presence of sheep and goats significantly increases the probability of attacks (β = 1.7, SE = 0.6, p = 0.004), so as the probability of observing a greater number of preyed individuals (β = 1.6, SE = 0.5, p = 0.005). The probability of observing fewer preyed animals was significantly higher among farmers who adopted the free grazing system (β = -1.4, SE = 0.6, p = 0.02) and used fixed fences to protect livestock (β = -2.9, SE = 1.3, p = 0.04). The results underlined the presence of a conflictual situation in the study area, with herdsmen showing great frustration towards the constant danger to which their livestock are subjected. The need for measures aimed at mitigation and prevention is underlined, in particular for agricultural companies mainly focused on the breeding of sheep and goats, highlighting however how many of these are difficult to use in many territorial areas due to the slope and difficult orography of the land. Finally yet importantly, the implementation of some of these solutions to protect livestock requires additional time and work to the already heavy load that the herdsman must do during the livestock-herding season.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12608/67334