Wild boar battues reduce crop damages in a protected area
| Autor: | Alberto Giménez-Anaya, Juan Herrero, Alicia García-Serrano, Carlos Prada, Ricardo García-González |
|---|---|
| Přispěvatelé: | Gobierno de Aragón |
| Rok vydání: | 2016 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Veterinary medicine Population Culling Agricultural damages 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences Crop Dogs Wild boar Hunters biology.animal education Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics Nature reserve education.field_of_study biology Corn business.industry food and beverages Lethal control 010601 ecology Agriculture Damages Animal Science and Zoology Protected area business |
| Zdroj: | Digital.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC instname Zaguán. Repositorio Digital de la Universidad de Zaragoza |
| Popis: | Agricultural damages caused by wild boar Sus scrofa have given farmers a negative impression of protected areas and their management. To mitigate those damages and the social conflicts that they create, hunting battues involving experienced local hunters were used as a lethal population control method in a protected Iberian wetland. In the Ebro Sotos and Galachos Nature Reserve, Spain, between 1994 and 2011, 259 wild boars were culled during 476 battues. On average, battues involved six hunters and ten dogs, and culling efficiency (number of animals killed per animals seen during battues) was 39 %. The number of battues per year and the area of crop damages caused by wild boar were significantly negatively correlated, demonstrating battue efficiency to decrease damages. Moreover, intermittent population control through culling led to a substantial increase in the wild boar population, with an increase in crop damages. This underlines the importance of constant control. The numbers of hunters and dogs and the number of wild boar seen during battues were strongly correlated. To minimize the conflicts between farmers and the management of protected areas, we suggest that the inexpensive, volunteer-based population control program could be enhanced by incorporating stalking and mobile electric fences. This research was part of a long-term culling program in the Ebro Sotos and Galachos Nature Reserve that was implemented by the Regional Government of Aragon, which provided financial support. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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