Wild boar interaction with human activities : three years of investigations in Central Italy

The recent record of the number of wild ungulates in Italy shows that in some areas there is a deleterious animal density. Among the ungulates, the number of wild boars has been increasing considerably, during past decades in Italy as well as in many European countries; somewhere the number has reached the overabundance level, causing conflict between wild fauna and human activities. The implications of wild game overpopulation are manifold and mainly related to the sanitary risk and to the intensification of conflicts between agricultural practices and humans activities. As a consequence an increased compensation budget has to be allocated by local public authorities. Damages to agriculture, livestock and other economic activities catch the farmers’ attention and that of the local communities. Management authorities, however lack of an integrated approach, and often tend to adopt ex post reimbursement schemes without appropriate management plans. The wild boar population growth is likely to increase the number of requests for reimbursement that would make heavier the financial burden of public administrations up to a critical point. The present paper aims for a first definition of the potential damage. The value is assessed on the basis of a GIS definition of area where wild boars rest and on the potential damage to cultivations Outcomes will be of help for those actors involved in wild board management plans as well as for public authorities responsible for compensating wild fauna damages to human activities. Conclusions shall drive public actions in order to minimize wild boar negative effects on areas potentially affected by the highest rate of damage.