Darker side of Italy

I was pleased to read the articles on birding in Italy. Most visitors go for the art and the architecture; however, if you look beyond these you will discover that, being largely mountainous, the country’s landscapes are stunningly beautiful and it is worth going away from the tourist hotspots. It has a wildlife to match.

Over the years, we have seen, among many others, Wallcreeper, Golden Eagle, Hazel Grouse and Black Woodpecker in the Dolomites, cuckoo, Turtle Dove and Bee-eater in Umbria and Pied Flycatcher, Lesser Kestrel and Golden Oriole in the south.

The mountains are largely composed of limestone and so, in springtime, are covered with wild flowers, including numerous species of orchid.

Add to these the possibility, in specific places, of seeing Wolf and Bear and the country becomes a ‘must visit’ for wildlife. However, there is a darker side – the continued illegal hunting and poaching of wild birds and the relentless pressure from powerful hunting lobbies to maintain and extend legal hunting seasons. The wonderfully dedicated staff of the environmental organisations in Italy work extremely hard to counter this and success is coming – if slowly. Italy’s Birdlife international partner, LIPU (Lega Italiana Protezione Uccelli) has a small branch here, LIPU-UK, which raises money to support many projects in Italy; conservation does not come cheaply!

As a new Trustee for this organisation, I would like to make a plea for you to visit Italy to see its natural heritage; if you make it clear why you are there it reinforces the message that wildlife tourism is economically worthwhile and can help, in a small way, with the culture changes that are so badly needed. I would also like to ask that you consider joining LIPU-UK; the cost is from £20 per year. All the details of membership are available on the website: lipu-uk.org where you will find more information about us, the projects we support and the parent organisation. Lesley Tompkins