Ecological repellents for the protection of vineyards from damage caused by wildlife in the Cinque Terre National Park

Since the second half of the 20th century, the Liguria Region, as well as the rest of Italy, has seen an increase in wild ungulate populations, leading to greater damage to agricultural and forestry crops and increased risks (road accidents). Based on data provided by local authorities to ISPRA for the period 2015-2021, damage to agriculture caused by ungulates averaged €1.7 billion per year. Frequent incursions by wildlife, particularly wild boars and roe deers, have also been recorded in the fragile territory of Cinque Terre National Park, which is characterised by small, terraced vineyards of high economic and cultural value. For this reason, starting in 2015, the Park Authority implemented a set of non-lethal, low impact protection systems to safeguard production, in order to mitigate conflicts between starling and agricultural activities. Specifically, this contribution presents the results of testing a biological repellent that acts as an olfactory-gustatory deterrent for roe deer, as well as the farm‘s assessments of the use of the aforementioned phytosanitary product. The water-based repellent containing sheep fat (6.39%) was tested in spring 2022 on experimental plots of two farms. Both farms have terraced vineyards, although traditional cultivation systems are also common. The work methodology was scheduled based on the vine‘s vegetative stages and included three applications of the repellent, rather than two, due to a delay in the pre-flowering phase. The methods and dosages of use involved diluting the formulation in water in a ratio of 1/3 – 1/5, with water at a ratio of 1/3 to 1/5, resulting in a compound application rate of 10-15 L/ha. Pre and post- treatment behavior of wild animals was monitored using camera traps. Following the encouraging results obtained in the first years of testing, the Park decided to provide the repellent free of charge to farmers who requested it in subsequent years as well. In order to assess farmers‘ satisfaction with the proposed protection system, questionnaires were distributed to 41 and 34 farms in 2023 and 2024, respectively. The questionnaires were designed to provide technical feedback on the repellent and perceptual-social assessments related to ongoing human-wildlife interactions affecting the farms‘ economic dynamics. The experiment results showed that roe deer visited the study areas only occasionally, with 14 sightings during the spring phase of repellent application, allowing the vines to remain undamaged during the vegetative-reproductive growth stage (particularly during budding) and to reach near-optimal fruit ripening. The excellent results achieved by applying this system to protect against roe deer browsing were confirmed by farmers‘ positive assessments of the repellent‘s effectiveness and satisfaction. More than 75% of respondents reported no browsing episodes, and 80% said they would use the repellent again the following season and recommend it to others. The most critical issues for farmers appear to be socially related, due to the additional burden of caring for their fields caused by wildlife perceived as undesirable and unfamiliar to their territory. Scientific assessments of the adopted protection system, combined with feedback from farmers, will provide the Park Authority with important information to evaluate the appropriateness and coherence of the resources invested, with the aim of developing a policy to reduce damage and minimise conflicts. Notably, the good results achieved with repellents have, for now, eliminated the need to consider a roe deer population control plan within the protected area.