This was the outcome of a technical working group meeting at the ministry on Wednesday, where the organisations reportedly agreed to deliver their recommendations shortly.

Environment Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin has apparently also requested the involvement of associations in biodiversity and more general environmental issues from now on.

Management of the bear population in Trentino has been at the centre of public attention since early April after a 17-year-old female tagged as Jj4 killed 26-year-old trail runner Andrea Papi on Mt Peller.

Papi was the first person to be killed by a bear in Italy in modern times.

The provincial government responded by ordering the capture and culling of Jj4 and another bear also known to be dangerous, sparking a tug-of-war between animal rights groups and the local authorities.

A local administrative court subsequently suspended the two culling orders but not the orders to capture the bears, and Jj4 is now at an animal centre pending a final decision.

ANSA