Page 212 - Supplemento 2-2016 (ENG)

donato monaco

In many cases our efforts have guaranteed the survival of species threate-
ned by land degradation, caused also by human interventions that were incom-
patible with the protected habitats.

Historically this activity has been provided by the State Forestry
Department, which has set up a dedicated structure with 150 command sta-
tions operating in the protected areas.

A specific aspect of the safeguarding of biodiversity is illegal logging, or
trafficking of wood, which has a worldwide dimension (its level of profits is
estimated between 30 and 100 million USA dollars per annum) and sometimes
involves even areas above suspicion: for instance 80% of the firewood used in
Italy is of undeclared origin, which would seem to imply trafficking even in this
area.

The influence of this sector on this country’s economy is well known, as
furniture making is one of the most important economic activities in Italy. In
this case too the role of the State Forestry Department is essential, given that
it is the organisation used by MIPAAF (Ministry for Agriculture, Food and
Forest Policies) for the implementation and the supervision in the framework
of FLEGT (Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade)/EUTR
(European Union Timber Regulations). The importance of this line is also wit-
nessed by the fact that INTERPOL is going to set up a new working group
dedicated specifically to illegal logging (Forestry crime).

In our country we pay particular attention to the animal world, both from
the angle of safeguarding the wild life (NOA – Nonlethal Options for Animals)
and of animal welfare. In the latter sector the State Forestry Department has
been a driving force setting up a specialized unit (NIRDA - Investigative Unit
for Crimes against Animals), which interfaces with the territory to confront the
mistreating of pets and also of animals of economic interest.

Among the main emergencies, note should be taken of the trade of
puppy pets abroad (which in some cases has already shown to be correlated
to the trafficking of drugs), particularly from Eastern Europe, and, for
instance of horses, with the problems of the insertion in the food chain of
animals used in racing, and therefore incompatible with human consum-
ption.

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