Un oscuro 'perché' della conservazione dei boschi, risultanza da alcune fonti inedite d'archivio del XIX secolo

In the past centuries, woods were protected to safeguard some of the human basic needs. However, there was a hidden benefit which was pursued against law. Indeed, with the aim of gaining economic benefits over time through captures and kills, while governments encouraged wolf extinction with cash prizes, hunters protected the predator's vital environment to maintain its presence. This study deals with this topic thanks to some unpublished archival documents referring to Cicolano, an internal area in the province of Rieti (Italy)

Somatic variability in wild boar (Sus scrofa L.) in different areas of Central Italy

A survey of wild boar shot during two consecutive years (hunting seasons 2002-2004) was carried out in order to evaluate which somatic measurements are most significant in identifying and discriminating among different morphotypes in central Italy. Biometric data from 688 wild boars was collected in three different areas of central Italy, two in Viterbo and one in the Province of Rieti. The following somatic measurements were individually recorded for each specimen: head-body length, height at withers, hind-foot length, ear length, ear-snout distance and ear-shoulder distance. Body weight was registered, and age was estimated from tooth eruption and wear. The animals were divided into three age classes; young (aged less then 12 months), sub-adults (aged between 12 and 36 months), and adults (36 months and older). After a preliminary ANOVA procedure, which did not give satisfactory results, a statistical analysis was performed using a canonical discriminant procedure, given an a priori classification (geographical area) and several quantitative variables (somatic measurements and weight). The separation between areas was estimated calculating the squared distance of Mahalanobis. The data referring to all 688 specimens was subjected to factor analysis. The results of the canonical discriminant analysis highlight the existence of two distinct groups within all three age classes. There is a statistically significant difference between the southern- Maremma (SM) vs the Apennine (A) and sub-Apennine (SA) areas, for young (P<0.0001), sub-adults (P<0.001) and adults (P<0.001). The difference between the A and SA areas was significant only for sub-adults (P<0.05). The first canonical variable account for 92.5, 92.7 and 89.9% of the total variance for the three age classes respectively, but this is unequally correlated with the original variables suggesting that the separation between the two areas is due to differences in conformation rather than in body size. On the basis of the discriminant analysis large part of the animals were correctly categorised in the sampling areas. As regards the factor analysis results for the adult group, the first three common factors are able to explain 78, 92, and 64% of the covariance for the data of the SM, A and SA groups respectively. These results suggest that, for the SM group, a differentiation among morphotypes may be possible on the basis of a few somatic measurements. These results confirm the need for biochemical and genetic studies to identify if the different morphotypes refer to the autochthonous wild boar strain

Il convento dei Cappuccini di Fiamignano: un difficile percorso da silenzio a monumento

Il convento dei Cappuccini di Fiamignano fu fondato nel 1568. In seguito alla sua soppressione ottocentesca, esso fu dapprima convertito in differenti usi pubblici e infine, gravemente danneggiato dal terremoto di Avezzano del 1915, fu definitivamente abbandonato nel 1919. Da allora iniziò un lungo periodo di spoliazione e depredamento che lo ha consegnato a un pressoché totale disinteresse e oblio. Oggi, dopo circa un secolo, il convento beneficia di un rinnovato interesse, rivolto anche alla sua consistenza materiale oltre che alle sue vicende storiche e umane. Proprio le vestigia architettoniche della fabbrica si vogliono ora salvare dalla rovina, per quanto possibile, e riconsegnarle nella loro essenza materiale e in sicurezza alla fruizione pubblica, nell’intento di restituire finalmente unità e coerenza a un bene culturale organico e inscindibilmente costituito da opere d’arte, memoria storica e architettura. Il saggio illustra il difficile percorso progettuale condotto fino a oggi, che si pone come la prima tappa di un più lungo cammino orientato alla riscoperta, al recupero e alla valorizzazione del monumento

A nesting area suitability model (MISN) to estimate the population parameters of Rock Partridge, Alectoris graeca orlandoi, in Rieti and Frosinone Provinces

In the last decades the Rock Partridge has undergone a decline throughout the entire area of distribution. The abundance of Apennine Rock Partridge, Alectoris graeca orlandoi, in the provinces of Frosinone and Rieti has been estimated with the pre-reproductive census technique of playback in the areas suitable for nesting. The methodology for assessing the suitability of the site for nesting of Apennine Rock Partridge was based on a parametric procedure that included the attribution of score to biotic (land use) and abiotic (elevation, slope, etc.) factors producing Andrea Amici 1, Fioravante Serrani 1, Settimio Adriani 2, Bruno Ronchi 1, Marco Bonanni 3 & Riccardo Primi 1 USO DEL MODELLO DI IDONEITÀ DI SITO PER LA NIDIFICAZIONE (MISN) PER LA STIMA DEI PARAMETRI DI POPOLAZIONE DELLA COTURNICE APPENNINICA, ALECTORIS GRAECA ORLANDOI, NELLE PROVINCE DI RIETI E DI FROSINONE, AGGIORNATA AL DICEMBRE 2009 Amici, Serrani, Adriani, Ronchi, Bonanni & Primi different layers. The layers obtained were interpolated to obtain a nesting site suitability model for Rock Partridge (MISN). In the province of Rieti the playback census was conducted in the years 2005-2006-2007 obtaining stable population data: 42-45 nesting pairs, and a density of 0.50 to 0.60 and 0.12 to 0.14 pairs/100 ha of land suitable for nesting, in areas where there is a hunting ban and where hunting is permitted respectively. In the province of Frosinone in 2007 were estimated 76 breeding pairs and a density of 0.6 and 0.28 pairs/100 ha in areas of ban hunting and free hunting respectively

Does the Wolf (<i>Canis lupus</i>) Exhibit Human Habituation Behaviours after Rehabilitation and Release into the Wild? A Case Report from Central Italy

The knowledge of how wolves’ movement patterns and habitat selection are affected by habituation to persons after a period of veterinary isolation, treatment and non-agonistic experience with humans is scarce. Unnatural behaviours could be transferred by imitation to members of the pack and to subsequent generations, increasing direct interaction risks. We used GPS data from a rescued radio-collared female wolf after an 11-day rehabilitation to estimate home range, movement patterns, circadian rhythms, and habitat selection, searching for signals of eventual behavioural distortions. In the period 1 August–26 November 2013, 870 valid locations were acquired. The wolf moved within a minimum convex polygon (95%) of 6541.1 ha (79% wooded), avoiding anthropized areas. Nocturnal and diurnal displacements were significantly different (p p < 0.01) in the summer (2239.0 ± 329.0 m) than in the autumn (595.9 ± 110.3 m), when the hunting season was running. As for a wild wolf, clear complementarity concerning human activities was recorded and no habituation signals were detected, but this is only a first case study that aims to be a stimulus for further research and a call for widespread data sharing

Anthropogenic and Environmental Factors Determining Local Favourable Conditions for Wolves during the Cold Season

Winter resources are crucial for wildlife, and, at a local scale, some anthropogenic and environmental factors could affect their availability. In the case of wolves, it is known that vocalisations in response to unfamiliar howls are issued to defend their territory and the important resources within it. Then, we studied the characteristics of winter response sites (WRS) during the cold season, aiming to assess their eventual ability to provide insights into the distribution of valuable resources within their territories. Within this scope, we planned a wolf-howling survey following a standardised approach. The study covered an Apennine (Central Italy) area of 500 km2. A hexagonal mesh was imposed on the area, in order to determine the values of different variables at the local scale. A logistic LASSO regression was performed. WRS were positively related to the presence of thermal refuges (odds = 114.485), to patch richness (odds = 1.153), wild boar drive hunting areas (odds = 1.015), and time elapsed since the last hunt (odds = 1.019). Among negative factors, stray dogs reply considerably affects wolves’ responsiveness (odds = 0.207), where odds are the exponentiated coefficients estimated by the logistic lasso regression. These results suggest that WRS are related to anthropogenic and environmental factors favouring the predation process