Sardinia court upholds hunting suspension for local species

The Regional Administrative Court (TAR) of Sardinia has confirmed the suspension of hunting for the Sardinian partridge, the Sardinian hare, and the wild rabbit. This decision upholds a previous presidential decree that modified the 2025-2027 regional hunting calendar.

The suspension applies to the hunting days of September 20 and 27, 2026, leaving only October 4, 2026, as a permitted hunting day. The legal challenge was brought by the environmental group Gruppo d’Intervento Giuridico (GrIG), supported by the Lega per l’Abolizione della Caccia (LAC) and LIPU – BirdLife Italia.

The court noted that while the region has the authority to deviate from technical-scientific advice provided by the Higher Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), it must provide adequate motivation for such decisions. In this instance, the court found that the Autonomous Region of Sardinia failed to provide necessary wildlife monitoring data regarding these specific species to justify its departure from ISPRA's recommendations.