ELO launches new study on Wild Boar Populations in Europe
Yesterday, June 26, the European Landowners’ Organization (ELO) launched a new study at the European Parliament: Wild Boar (Sus Scrofa) Populations in Europe: A scientific review of population trends and implications for management.
A special event was organised in European Parliament by Italian S&D MEP, Renata Briano and the European Landowners’ Organization, which gathered together 120 participants from a diverse range of fields to discuss the Wild Boar population in Europe: the trends and challenges.
MEP, Renata BRIANO underlined the significance of the growing wild boar populations to large segments of society including farmers, hunters, landowners, environmentalists and the scientific community.
Wild boar populations have undergone a systematic increase, in both size and distribution range, across most parts of Europe over the past 30 years. This large, adaptive mammal is causing significant damage to crops and forested areas, affecting biodiversity and ecosystems, and is increasingly becoming a danger to motorists.
The new report, authored by ELO scientific Director, Dr. Jurgen TACK, fills a gap in the current research, giving a comprehensive overview of the wild boar populations which was entirely lacking until now. It is based on 550 peer-reviewed scientific papers and proposes a number of policy recommendations to decrease the number of negative human-wild boar interactions. At the same time, it calls for a stronger scientific support of existing and future manage¬ment practices.
“At present there is more data on the population size and distribution of the elephant in Africa than on wild boar in Europe”
Stefan LEINER European Commission, Head of the Biodiversity Unit, stated that an increase in wild boar populations can also be damaging to ground nesting birds and mammals in Natura 2000 sites which are protected by the EU Birds and Habitats Directives. He called for the restoration of resilient and biodiverse ecosystems in line with the EU Biodiversity Strategy as the best and cheapest way to counter such events which are a result of changed agricultural practices combined with climate change.
Other panelists, Andrea MARSAN, Zoology expert at University of Genova, Pascal PERROTEY-DORIDANT, Director of Fund for Damage Compensation, and Jean-Marie GIFFROY, Professor, Department of Veterinary Medicine, completed the picture with some interesting insights on the need for a value chain for game meat, management techniques to contain population growth, and the challenges of the African swine fever