Thanks to the LIFE Perdix project in the Riserva Naturale Orientata Murge Orientali, the reintroduction of 1,000 Italic partridges

The Italian Partridge (Perdix perdix italica), saved thanks to the European LIFE Perdix project, returns to Puglia decades after its extinction in the wild.
The LIFE Perdix project – which has as its main objectives genetic recovery, ex situ reproduction and the establishment of a viable population of Perdix p. italica in the Mezzano Valley in the province of Ferrara – has chosen to start the first releases in other suitable natural sites. First in the Orecchiella Nature Reserve in Garfagnana, now at the Riserva Naturale Orientata Murge Orientali, always thanks to the Italic partridges born and raised in Bieri, a wildlife center of excellence for ex situ reproduction managed by the Forestry Carabinieri.

This is the first release of 1,000 individuals of Perdix p. italica, equally distributed by age and sex classes, in surplus compared to the reintroduction needs in the Mezzano Valley, thanks to the excellent work carried out by the Bieri Centre. The choice of the Apulian site is perfectly consistent with the return of the species to nature, since the Italian partridge was also present in this region until the second half of the last century. The Eastern Murge Oriented Nature Reserve, also managed by the CUFAA – Forestry, environmental and agri-food unit command of the Army, is a suitable and appropriate site, as there are species’ habitats there, as shown in the environmental suitability map drawn up by ISPRA, and is a protected area monitored and supervised by the Forestry Carabinieri, in which hunting is prohibited.

The introduced Italian partridges, which have spent the last few months in large acclimatization aviaries of over a thousand square meters each and rich in vegetation, were released this morning in the nature reserve, where some facilities which have been positively tested in the Mezzano Valley are provided, such as the installation of some discs made from tree trunks to encourage the presence and accessibility of ant eggs and larvae suitable for nourishing adults and their offspring during the reproductive season.

The reintroduced population, in compliance with the indications of ISPRA, lead partner of the LIFE Perdix project, will be monitored by the forestry Carabinieri to follow its evolution and, on the basis of the data collected, in the coming years it may be numerically consolidated by further introductions of Italic partridges from from the Bieri breeding farm.
With this reintroduction, outside the chosen site of the Mezzano Valley, the path for the return of the Italian partridge to protected areas of the national territory begins, before the end of the LIFE Perdix project, starting from the suitable sites present in the 130 state nature reserves managed directly by CUFAA.