Ungulate Management in Europe: Problems and Practices

Cover......Page 1
Half-title......Page 3
Title......Page 5
Copyright......Page 6
Contents......Page 7
Contributors......Page 9
Scientific names of species referred to in this text......Page 12
1.1 Introduction to this volume......Page 13
The aim of this book......Page 15
One size does not fit all!!!......Page 16
1.2 Cultural attitudes to hunting......Page 17
References......Page 22
2.1 Introduction......Page 24
2.2 A short history of ungulates in Europe: decline and recovery......Page 25
2.3 Case study 1: Red deer......Page 27
2.4 Case study 2: Introgressive hybridisation of red and sika deer in Europe......Page 34
2.5 Case study 3: European roe deer......Page 36
2.6 Case study 4: European bison......Page 39
2.7 Case study 5: Alpine and Spanish ibex......Page 41
2.8 Reprise......Page 44
2.9 A summary of conservation status and legislation......Page 51
2.10 European ungulates: the future......Page 53
Acknowledgements......Page 319
3.1 General legislative framework......Page 66
3.1.1 Who owns game animals?......Page 67
3.1.2 The right to kill game......Page 68
3.1.3 Management objectives......Page 70
3.2 Specific legislative provisions......Page 71
Specifically......Page 72
Small calibre rifles......Page 73
3.2.4 Other permitted weapons......Page 74
3.2.6 Hunting seasons......Page 75
Cull statistics and the requirement to make a statutory cull return......Page 76
Types of data collected......Page 78
3.2.9 Compensation for game damage and the provision of supplementary feed......Page 80
Compensation for damage......Page 82
3.4 Administration of ungulate hunting......Page 83
Model A......Page 84
Model C......Page 85
Model E......Page 86
Mixed models......Page 87
3.5 In conclusion......Page 90
References......Page 406
4.1 Introduction......Page 92
4.2.1 Potential problems of hunting during the rut - the disruption of reproductive aggregations......Page 93
Failure to conceive......Page 94
Disturbance of breeding groups may increase the chance of mating by inferior males......Page 95
Possible damaging effects of harassment......Page 96
Ethical implications......Page 97
4.2.3 Culling of mature females when young are still dependent on their mothers......Page 98
Culling of the mother could result in death, or loss of fitness of dependent young......Page 99
4.3 European hunting seasons in relation to biological seasons......Page 101
4.3.1 Culling during the rut......Page 103
4.3.2 Culling during the last weeks of pregnancy......Page 105
4.3.3 Culling during the period of juvenile dependency......Page 107
4.4 Conclusions......Page 108
4.4.1 Culling during the rut......Page 110
4.4.2 Culling during advanced pregnancy......Page 111
4.4.3 Culling during the period of juvenile dependency......Page 112
References......Page 113
5.1 Introduction......Page 118
5.2 One Europe - many management objectives......Page 119
5.3 One Europe - many census methods......Page 121
Drive counts......Page 124
Ground counts......Page 127
Vantage point counts......Page 128
Estimation of absolute population size - mostly an unrealistic aspiration?......Page 129
Aerial surveys......Page 130
Hunter/gamekeeper observations......Page 131
Capture-mark-recapture (CMR) techniques......Page 132
Animal vocalisations......Page 133
Faecal pellet group counts......Page 134
Snow track counts......Page 136
Cohort analyses and ageing of hunted animals......Page 137
5.5.1 Direct methods......Page 138
Hunter/gamekeeper observations......Page 139
Faecal pellet group counts......Page 140
Wildlife triangle transect line system......Page 141
Animal vital rates......Page 142
5.6 One Europe - a united management approach?......Page 143
5.7 Towards adaptive management......Page 146
References......Page 147
6.1 Introduction......Page 156
6.2.1 Ungulates and the way they may affect ecosystems......Page 157
6.2.2 When is an impact damage?......Page 161
6.2.3 Problems of assessment and wrongful attribution of damage......Page 162
6.2.4 Beneficial impacts......Page 164
6.3.1 Data available......Page 165
6.3.2 Significance of impacts recorded......Page 167
Agriculture......Page 181
Forestry......Page 183
Conservation......Page 185
6.3.3 Which ungulate species seem to be most significant in terms of damage?......Page 187
6.4 Management options and management practice......Page 188
6.5 Conclusions......Page 193
7.1 Introduction......Page 204
7.2 The wild ungulate/livestock interface......Page 206
7.4 Risk assessment, and control of diseases in wildlife populations......Page 215
7.5 Conclusions......Page 220
References......Page 221
8.1 Introduction: the scale of the problem......Page 227
8.1.1 Human injury and death......Page 229
8.1.2 Damage to property......Page 230
8.2.1 Season and time of day......Page 231
8.2.2 Road type, traffic volume and speed......Page 235
8.2.3 Other environmental and landscape factors influencing accident risk......Page 237
8.3 Options for mitigation......Page 239
Roadside fencing......Page 240
Roadside wildlife warning reflectors......Page 241
Acoustic roadside deterrents......Page 243
Car-mounted warning whistles......Page 247
Local reductions in ungulate population density......Page 248
Enhanced or dynamic signs......Page 250
Management of roadside vegetation......Page 252
Overpasses and underpasses......Page 253
How many passages?......Page 255
Highway cross-walks......Page 256
8.4 Mitigation measures: overall analyses of effectiveness......Page 257
References......Page 263
9.1 Large herbivores as `keystone species´ in ecosystems......Page 272
9.2 Deliberate manipulation of herbivore populations to effect a change in the dynamics and structure of the managed ecosystems......Page 274
9.2.1 Modification of density of existing herbivore species......Page 276
9.2.2 Addition of new species to the community......Page 278
9.2.3 Multi-species grazing systems may be more effective than single species systems......Page 282
9.3 Effects on other animals......Page 285
9.4 The future potential of grazing manipulations......Page 287
10.1 Introduction......Page 296
10.2 Large carnivores and ungulate populations in Europe......Page 298
10.3 Large carnivore densities and numerical relationships with ungulate prey......Page 300
10.4 Ungulates in diets of large predators......Page 304
10.5 Kill rates by wolves and lynx......Page 307
10.7 What is the effect of predation on ungulate populations?......Page 310
10.8 Is human hunting additive to, or compensatory for, losses to natural predators?......Page 315
10.9 Ungulate management in areas with large carnivores......Page 316
References......Page 323
11.1 Introduction......Page 331
11.2 Pathogens, evolution and life-history trade-offs......Page 332
11.3 Theoretical background......Page 334
11.3.1 Density-dependent transmission within a single host species......Page 335
11.3.2 Naıve hosts and herd immunity......Page 336
11.3.3 Frequency-dependent transmission......Page 337
11.3.5 Multi-host pathogens......Page 338
11.3.6 Multiple pathogen infections......Page 339
11.4 Practical problems......Page 340
11.6 Anthropogenic factors......Page 344
11.8 Concluding remarks......Page 348
12.1 Introduction......Page 361
12.2 Global climate, local weather and regional variation......Page 364
12.3 Winter limitation at northern distribution ranges: snow depth and icing......Page 366
12.4 Changes in growing season length and indirect effects of snow depth......Page 367
12.5 Summer/spring limitations: drought and southern distribution ranges......Page 368
12.6 Buffering of (winter) climate effects: morphology and behaviour......Page 369
12.6.2 Behaviour......Page 370
12.7 Likely demographic consequences of increased frequency of extreme climatic events......Page 371
12.8 Interactions with other limiting factors may buffer or increase climate effects......Page 372
12.9 What role will evolution play?......Page 374
12.10 Conclusion......Page 376
References......Page 378
13.1 Management of ungulate populations: resource and conflict......Page 388
13.1.1 The need for holistic, multi-objective and adaptive management......Page 389
13.2 The effect of governance and administrative structures on sustainable management for ungulates......Page 391
13.2.1 UNWIRE for ungulates......Page 394
Factors affecting the number and prevalence of ungulate hunters......Page 398
Factors affecting the trend in number of ungulate hunters......Page 399
Factors related to ungulate numbers......Page 400
Factors related to quality of habitat for ungulates......Page 401
Artificial or supplementary feeding......Page 402
13.2.2 Some conclusions......Page 403
13.3 Some thoughts for the future......Page 405
Index......Page 408