Alarm guard systems for the prevention of damage produced by ungulates in a chestnut grove of Middle Italy

Wildlife populations, in particular ungulates and carnivores, have had a significant increase in most Italian regions over the last decades and for this reason ecosystems and agricultural and forest productions are threatened by damage produced by wildlife. In order to evaluate effective methodologies and technologies to mitigate the impact of this phenomenon, innovative protection systems, such as electronic acoustic alarm guard sensors, were tested. These devices are able to randomly produce a significant number of sounds and light projections. At the same time, camera traps were used, as a support instrument to show the presence or absence of wild fauna. Video analysis has provided information on the effectiveness of security systems, on the most suitable methods of installation and management of devices and their ecological impact. Experimental trials were carried out in a chestnut grove located in an Apennine area of the Middle Italy during the harvesting period (autumn). The results obtained have shown that these technologies seem to be particularly suitable for crops that concentrate production in a short time (e.g. vine and chestnut) and in areas not excessively large. Widespread use of devices could mitigate the conflict between public bodies involved in the management of wildlife and farmers.