The events will involve 11 regions of mainland central-southern Italy, and they are divided into three days. The first day consists of a meeting/debate about the illegal use of poison and of its effects on fauna, and of a practical field presentation of the Anti-Poison Dog Units of the State Forestry Corps. Several authorities and representatives of local institutions, breeders, farmers, environmentalist associations, the hunting world and the dog-unit operators take part in these events.
The second day is mainly dedicated to training, therefore it addresses the State Forestry Corps and any operator involved in opposing this practice (veterinarians, people working for the Park Authority, volunteering guards etc…): they will tackle the problem of the illegal use of poison by considering different perspectives, with the aim to gain the necessary knowledge to prevent and effectively manage the poisoning cases, but also to better support the inspections of the Anti-Poison Dog Units.
The first three dates involved workers and stakeholders from Molise, Campania, Tuscany and Emilia Romagna; they took place in Frosolone (IS), Vallo della Lucania (SA, in the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park), and in Badia Prataglia (AR, in the Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona and Campigna National Park), where three of the six Anti-Poison Dog Units created with the LIFE PLUTO Project are situated. A further training day will be mainly focused on practical activities.