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Eur J Wildl Res (2009) 55:553559 DOI 10.1007/s10344-009-0274-3
ORIGINAL PAPER
Is the Nature 2000 Network associated with small-game bag results?
Rui Paixo & Srgio Godinho & Pedro Santos
Received: 19 December 2008 /Revised: 2 April 2009 /Accepted: 27 April 2009 /Published online: 9 May 2009 # Springer-Verlag 2009
Abstract Small-game hunting is of great economic importance in Portugal. Game managers claim that game management restrictions regarding shoots inside the Nature 2000 Network negatively influence small-game bags, particularly of hare, wild rabbit and red-legged partridge. We analyse whether different habitat and game management practices are associated with game bags of those species in Alentejo (Portugal). Game bag records from five hunting seasons referring to shoots both inside and outside Nature 2000 sites were analysed. Significant differences concerning habitat and game management descriptors were found between shoots inside and outside Nature 2000 sites. However, this ecological network does not seem to correlate with hare and red-legged partridge game bags, whilst it may negatively influence wild rabbit hunting results. Considering that habitat quality for wild rabbit is rather poor inside the studied Nature 2000 sites, further investigation is needed of
the possible negative influence of this ecological network on the species game bag. Hare game bags increase with extensive non-irrigated agricultural fields and orchards. Besides these two habitats, red-legged partridge game bags are also favoured by cork oak montado where predators are controlled. The game bags of the three small-game species studied increase with hunting effort. Further, our results suggest that there is a positive relation between hunting effort and small-game population abundance.
Keywords Nature 2000 Network . Game management restrictions . Small-game . Game bag . Alentejo (Portugal)
Introduction
Growing environmental concerns amongst European Union (EU) governments and non-governmental organisations led to the creation of the Nature 2000 Network (Weber and Christophersen 2002). This ecological network in EU territory resulted from the adoption of the Habitat Directive 92/43/EEC and the Bird Directive 79/409/EEC. The main purpose of the Nature 2000 Network is the conservation of wildlife and natural habitats in the EU, assuring long-term survival of the most threatened species and habitats. In Portugal, the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Biodiversity (ICNB) created the List of National Sites, which was approved by the Portuguese government,...