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Managing game species suffering population declines demands effective harvest regulation to allow for species recovery. Striking a balance is crucial to ensure that regulations are not perceived as unfair impositions, potentially leading to non-compliance issues. The European turtle-dove (Streptopelia turtur) is a unique example of such conservation conflict, marked by a temporary moratorium of its hunting in the western European countries in 2021, maintained in subsequent years. Exploring the views of turtle-dove hunters is critical for predicting the acceptability of regulatory measures. Here we explored the preferences and perceptions of Spanish hunters regarding policy changes in European turtle-dove hunting. Specifically, we first investigated hunters' views on the current moratorium and then, using a Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE), we assessed their preferences for future management scenarios regarding species recovery and its hunting. The findings revealed heterogeneous perceptions among hunters surveyed about the species' population trends and the procedures to be followed if hunting was reopened in the future (in particular, about who should hunt if small quotas would not allow hunting to occur in all hunting estates), but an overall rejection of the moratorium. The DCE showed that their most favored management option was hunting return in the medium term, and conservation efforts to be carried out across all European and African countries in the migration route. We conclude that transnational cooperative strategies that balance species recovery and science-based hunting regulations are required to achieve a transition to more effective and accepted conservation efforts.

The effect of wild ungulate density on ecosystems varies according to different factors: climate and physiography conditions, forest type, management history, and herbivore identity. In this study, we evaluated the effect of historically high densities of red deer (Cervus elaphus L.) on the soil fungal communities in Mediterranean ecosystems using 30 paired plots, open on the one hand and exclosure plots on the other one. Plots were established at the end of 2020 in a perimeter-fenced hunting estate of 6600 ha in Toledo, Spain. Three months after plots were established, we analysed fungal communities in 60 soil samples using Illumina 250-bp paired-end sequencing. We estimated changes in total fungal richness and in the richness of trophic groups through Linear Mixed Effects models using fenced/unfenced type and deer habitat use as fixed variables and the location of the plots and the main tree host species as random variables. Fungal composition was analysed using non-metric multidimensional scaling and permutational multivariate ANOVA; edaphic characteristics were incorporated to explain differences. Soil fungal communities were not differentially affected by excluding ungulates for three months. Areas with high deer densities had a richer saprotrophic community and where lowland environments were dominated by the main tree hosts Quercus faginea and Quercus ilex. Arbutus unedo was found in mountain areas where there was less herbivore pressure, a greater richness of ectomycorrhizal and lichenized fungi and soils positively associated to nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and organic matter levels.

Land abandonment together with the development of stronger conservation policies have favored the expansion of some wildlife species across Europe. This has led to increasing human-wildlife interactions, which are often conflictive, potentially harming both people livelihood and wildlife conservation. A paradigmatic example of conflicts over increasing wildlife species occurs when carnivores are involved. Assessing the human dimension of carnivore expansion is challenging if coexistence between human and carnivore species is sought. To date most studies on this topic have focused on large carnivores, whereas the expansion of mesocarnivores has received much less attention in the literature. Here, we explored the case of the Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumnon) in central Spain, its north-eastern range edge. This is the only mongoose species naturally occurring in Europe; in particular, it is distributed throughout most Portugal and south-western Spain, and their populations are expanding to the north-east of Spain. The mongoose preys on small-game species, which often leads to complaints from hunters about its presence. We assessed hunters and non-hunters views on the expansion of the Egyptian mongoose through online questionnaires. Our aims included: 1) assessing participants’ attitudes towards the natural expansion of the species; 2) analyzing their perception on the potential benefits and negative impacts of the occurrence of the mongoose; 3) evaluating potential conflicts between hunters and non-hunters regarding mongoose perceived impacts; 4) studying participants’ preferences over different potential management scenarios of mongoose expansion; 5) assessing attitudes towards different management tools to either favor mongoose expansion, or to halt it or, at least, to slow it down. Our results revealed that nearly all (>90%) hunters were against mongoose expansion. When we asked them about different potential management actions to stop mongoose expansion, mo

Increasing road safety is a major goal for the United Nations in this decade. However, the geographical expansion and increments in population size of most large ungulate species in many European regions over the last decades pose a major threat to achieve this goal. We aim to explore the environmental and anthropogenic factors underlying the spatio-temporal dynamics of road accidents caused by collisions with the three commonest ungulate species - the wild boar (Sus scrofa L.), the roe deer (Capreolus capreolus L.), and the red deer (Cervus elaphus L.) - in Castilla y León, where a notable increase in the number of vehicle collisions with these species has been reported in the last two decades. We will use traffic data in 2015-2020 to evaluate the effects and relevance of the following factors related to the probability of colliding with each of these species: habitat cover, landscape diversity, topography, road type, traffic intensity, road sinuosity, species density, and hunting occurrence. For that purpose, we will use random forest, a machine learning technique based on the averaging of multiple decision trees, which have been widely used for classification and variable selection. We will develop one random forest model per species and season to investigate whether the contribution and influences of environmental and anthropogenic factors vary over time depending on the species and their biological cycle (e.g., dispersion, reproduction). We will report on the first exploratory analysis and discuss the findings in the light of potential mitigation actions to increase road safety.

Social perception of ungulates and their management depends on both their abundance and the socioeconomic context. However, an approach that addresses this issue is currently unavailable. Our objective was to employ a survey in Spain (n = 440) to evaluate the knowledge and perceptions on the eight species of wild ungulates that inhabit the Iberian Peninsula, and their abundance. The results showed that respondents were unaware of the existence of many of the species. Only wild boar (95% of the surveyed population) and red deer (72%) were widely identified. Respondents perceived that urban, agricultural, and livestock contexts were the most frequent suffering overabundance, with the wild boar as most relevant species (86%). This study illustrates how a better understanding of overabundance and public perceptions is important to ensure effective communication on ungulate population status and to improve public support for their management, thus avoiding bias toward certain species, impacts, or specific contexts.

A new regulation has led to the prohibition of recreational hunting on estates located within Spanish National Parks (NPs). Before the ban, eleven NPs in Spain had already reported negative ecological consequences associated with high densities of wild ungulates. The new situation that has occurred after the ban signifies that policies with which to control populations of wild ungulates in NPs, most of which do not have a sufficient natural capacity to regulate populations, depend exclusively on the parks' authorities. The banning of recreational hunting implies a series of social, ecological, economic and logistic challenges. The control of wild ungulate populations in NPs requires: i) the legal basis for culling; ii) social acceptance as regards removing animals and the extractive procedures employed in NPs; iii) the long-term monitoring of wild ungulates and the damages that they cause, and iv) sufficient financial and human resources. A more integrated management and policy plan is, therefore, required, which should be supported by two pillars: i) the sustainability of natural resources and the conservation of functional environments, and ii) providing society with explanations regarding the need to manage wild ungulates. In order to bridge the potential gap between these key pillars, it is important to involve stakeholders in the decision-making processes concerning wild ungulate management. The forthcoming changes in Spanish NPs provide a promising opportunity to make a substantial improvement to wild ungulate management in these protected areas. This management approach could, moreover, serve as an example and be transferred to other protected spaces.

Esta ponencia trata de transferir los resultados de un trabajo recientemente publicado en Joumal of Environmental Management (Volume 331, 1 April 2023, 117236). Nuestro objetivo era estimar el apoyo y las preferencias del público general de varios países europeos sobre algunos principios básicos de gestión de la vida silvestre, que pueden ser útiles para informar a los responsables de la toma de decisiones de la UE. Se realizó un experimento de elección discreta con 2.415 habitantes de seis países europeos (España, Francia, Italia, Reino Unido, Alemania y Suecia), incluyendo residentes de zonas rurales (47% de los encuestados) y urbanas. Nuestros resultados revelaron un patrón claro en toda Europa occidental, con tendencias similares a lo largo de los países estudiados, e incluso entre ciudadanos rurales y urbanos, sobre algunos principios básicos de gestión de la fauna. Según nuestra encuesta, los pagos por servicios ambientales contribuyen a lograr un mayor bienestar de los ciudadanos europeos en cualquiera de los posibles programas de vida silvestre considerados, lo que sugiere que es una herramienta aceptable para repartir fondos para la conservación de la biodiversidad. Además, se prefiere la gestión de especies escasas a la de especies demasiado abundantes; se prioriza la gestión en hábitats forestales, agrícolas y acuáticos a la de paisajes urbanos; y se prefiere la gestión en zonas protegidas a la de zonas no protegidas. Estos resultados sugieren que existe una cultura común en Europa en relación con la gestión de la fauna. En general, este estudio puede ayudar a diseñar políticas de gestión de la fauna salvaje que maximicen la aceptabilidad social y obtengan un mayor apoyo

The EU biodiversity strategy for 2030 sets out a framework of commitments and actions to tackle the main drivers of biodiversity loss. Such framework needs to be built on a whole-of-society approach to biodiversity protection, mobilizing private and public funding. In this context, our goal was estimating societal support and preferences about some basic wildlife management principles, which may be useful to inform EU decision-makers about societal priorities and other additional funding sources for wildlife conservation. A discrete choice experiment was conducted by 2415 inhabitants in six European countries (Spain, France, Italy, UK, Germany, Sweden), including residents in both rural (47% of respondents) and urban areas. Our findings reveal a clear pattern across western Europe with similar trends along the studied countries, and even between rural and urban citizens, on some basic wildlife management principles. According to our survey, payments for environmental services contribute to achieving a higher well-being from European citizens in any of the prospective wildlife programs considered, which suggests it is an acceptable tool to share out funds for biodiversity conservation. In addition, managing scarce species is preferred over managing too abundant species; management in forest, agricultural and aquatic habitats is prioritized over that in urban landscapes; and management in protected areas is preferred over management in non-protected ones. These findings suggest that there is a common culture in Europe related to the management of wildlife even when considering citizens with contrasted ways of life: rural vs urban citizens from northern to southwestern Europe. Overall, this study may help in the design of wildlife management policies that maximize societal acceptability and gather higher support.

Public surveys can be valuable tools to collect information on wildlife distribution. Our objective was to improve the knowledge on the distribution and expanding areas of the Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon) in central Spain by using an on-line questionnaire to hunters. We assessed the reliability of information that hunters provided by comparing it with reports from wildlife professionals. Our results show a high overall congruence but significantly different information provided by hunters and professionals on the distribution of the Egyptian mongoose, suggesting that both sources provide unique data for the management of non-game species. For example, hunters reported greater mongoose presence than professionals in areas to the east of Toledo and Ciudad Real provinces, for the whole distribution and core area of the species, suggesting that hunters could help to detect other areas where the species exists. Overall, our findings stress the importance of engaging hunters in wildlife conservation, as they can share valuable information on wildlife species, including those that are not hunted.

Land use changes and conservation policies have led to the recovery of some wildlife populations in Europe. In this context, understanding people’s attitudes and perception towards returning wildlife species may be important to minimize human-wildlife conflicts and to promote coexistence. This is particularly evident in the case of carnivores, whose recovery may lead to strong conflicts between advocates and opponents of those species. In accordance with this, researchers are increasingly paying attention to the social aspects of the recovery of carnivores. A paradigmatic case is the passive restoration of the Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon) in the Iberian Peninsula. In turn, hunters often complain of the presence of this carnivore species, as it preys on small game species. To improve the understanding of the human dimension of mongoose expansion, an online survey was carried out with hunters (n= 885) in the autonomous communities of Andalucia, Extremadura and Castilla-La Mancha. In particular, the main objective of this survey was assessing hunters’ attitudes regarding the passive restoration of the Egyptian mongoose and their preferences about the species’ management. Our results revealed that hunters mostly opposed (95.9%) to passive restoration of the Egyptian mongoose. Accordingly, most of them believed that some management should be carried out to avoid its expansion. Hunters mostly selected management measures with stronger impact on the species and carried out by hunters themselves (90.6%). Hunter’s negative perception of the Egyptian mongoose was generalized, but the analysis of the decision tree (CHAID tree-Chi-square automatic interaction detection) showed indeed subtle differences depending on the region, legal regulation and the species presence. Given the expansion dynamic experienced by the Egyptian mongoose during the last decades, environmental managers should not neglect human-mongoose conflict if they want to seek their coexistence

Due to land use and climate change, human-wildlife interactions rise, often leading to conflicts, especially with carnivores. Understanding social perceptions of expanding carnivore species is crucial to reduce the associated potential conflicts. Through an online survey we assessed the perceived impacts (both positive and negative) of hunters and non-hunters (both residents in Castilla-La Mancha, central Spain) in relation to the expanding Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon). We then used the Potential Conflict Index (PCI2) to detect the degree of intra- and inter- group consensus (hunters and non-hunters). PCI2 values range from 0 to 1: smaller values (closer to 0) indicate a high consensus within a group; whereas values approaching 1 identify greater intra-group potential for conflict. Overall, hunters were more in agreement with potential negative impacts of mongooses, namely for the ecosystems and rural economy. On the contrary, non-hunters mostly agreed with the potential beneficial impacts associated with the mongoose. Looking at the level of agreement within groups, we found that hunters’ highest consensus (PCI2= 0.07) was obtained regarding the perception that mongoose did not increase tourism; whereas the lowest consensus (PCI2= 0.50) referred to the impact of attacks on livestock. In contrast, among non-hunter, there was a high level of consensus (PCI2= 0.19) regarding mongoose’s contribution to biodiversity conservation, while the lowest consensus (PCI2= 0.44) was related to its impact on attacking pets. Based on our findings, we suggest designing targeted information campaigns to increase residents’ (including hunters) awareness about the species occurring in their territories, and, importantly, to explain them how such species may affect the ecosystems and rural livelihood. Furthermore, our study stresses the usefulness of the PCI2 to visually assess disagreement in perceptions among different social groups about expanding mesocarnivores

En Europa existen cada vez más programas de gestión de fauna. Idealmente, las medidas de gestión de fauna silvestre deben basarse en conocimiento experto y contar con suficiente apoyo social. Por este motivo es importante conocer las percepciones y preferencias sobre este tema tanto de los expertos como del público general. En este estudio comparamos dichas percepciones y preferencias de ambos grupos mediante un cuestionario on-line realizado en 2021 a una muestra representativa de la sociedad española (n= 400) en términos de edad, género y área de residencia, y a una muestra de los asistentes (n= 98) al XV congreso de la SECEM, que consideramos como expertos en fauna silvestre. Al inicio del cuestionario los participantes tenían que indicar en qué medida estaban de acuerdo con una serie de afirmaciones sobre los mamíferos y las aves y su gestión. A continuación se realizó un experimento de elección discreta en el que los participantes tenían que elegir su programa de gestión de mamíferos y aves preferido entre varias opciones que diferían en relación al valor cualitativo de una serie de atributos, así como en su coste. Los resultados mostraron que la mayoría de los participantes de ambos grupos son conscientes de los impactos negativos de las actividades humanas sobre la fauna, con mayor preocupación del grupo de expertos. Prácticamente todos los expertos están de acuerdo con que debería haber más programas de seguimiento de especies, algo con lo que también concuerdan dos tercios del público general. Se valora mejor la gestión de especies en declive que la de especies muy abundantes que causan daños, particularmente entre los expertos. Estos últimos valoran con mayor intensidad la gestión en ecosistemas acuáticos, siendo indiferentes sobre que la gestión se haga en territorios con mayor o menor grado de protección. Por el contrario, el público general valora mejor la gestión en espacios protegidos, priorizando los ecosistemas forestales. Finalmente, el diseño de p

Zoonotic emerging diseases (ZEDs) are increasing and may deeply impact human wellbeing, but our recent survey of public opinion in six European countries (n = 2415 participants) suggests a low concern among Europeans about the risk associated with ZEDs. This contrasts with Europeans’ high awareness of climate change risks, which was confirmed by our survey. Given the increasing risk of ZEDs, it is therefore essential to increase Europeans’ awareness of their impacts. In addition, our study suggests that Europeans may be more likely to support sustainable environmental policies that would reduce the risk associated with ZEDs, consequently improving the human wellbeing

Conflicts derived from the proactive management of ecosystems and wildlife populations abound in national parks, which can prevent the control of some animal populations, consequently causing negative effects to the ecological values and creating health risks for the ecosystems. This work quantifies a conflict related to population control of the Iberian ibex in the Sierra de Guadarrama National Park in Spain where ecological values and health risks are at stake. A discrete choice experiment was conducted of three population samples: 430 on-site visitors, 210 off-site visitors and 210 non-visitors, and two levels of status quo information were considered. The results show that not conducting any ibex management program in the park causes a loss of social well-being and that the design of the management program is shown to be relevant for obtaining greater or lesser acceptance by the surveyed population. In general, better ecological and health levels, as well as avoiding having to kill animals in the park, increase a program's acceptance. Management measures are also shown to take on greater importance to the extent that the results in the health and ecological indicators are worse. Finally, in aggregate terms, additional information about the status quo did not generate major differences in the estimates of a change of well-being.

Natural corridors are essential components of wildlife conservation but, when human-wildlife conflicts emerge, the participation of local communities becomes imperative to ensure their efficacy and long-term persistence. Therefore, local people initiatives and commitments (community-based strategies) promoting human-wildlife coexistence are urgently needed especially in African natural corridors dominated by elephants (Loxodonta africana). Wildlife rangers represent skilled technical staff who are involved in the monitoring and protection of wildlife but also in promoting human-wildlife coexistence and community awareness. They are the closest conservation staff to local communities and have broad experience in dealing with elephants around the villages. Therefore, collecting and recognizing the knowledge of wildlife rangers on the suitability of possible local solutions could contribute to the successful planning and implementation of human elephant mitigation measures at farmer level. This study aims to quantify wildlife rangers' preferences for community-based strategies to increase human-elephant coexistence in the Selous-Niassa Wildlife Corridor (Southern Tanzania). In particular, we evaluated wildlife rangers' preferences regarding three attributes: local farm-based mitigation measures, the implication of technical support in the implementation of those measures and the preferred level of cooperation in the local community for that implementation. In 2019, we conducted a discrete choice experiment by interviewing 63 wildlife rangers (41% of the total rangers working along the corridor). Results showed that the most preferred management strategy included building chili-oil fences by farmers cooperating at community level and technically supported by external institutions. Other strategies considered were (in decreasing order of importance) crop species selection, beehive fences, crop translocation, cooperation in small groups, and the use of noisemakers. The di

Red deer (Cervus elaphus L.) are distributed throughout Europe, and populations densities have increased over the last years. Lethal control is sometimes used to reduce their numbers, and their negative overabundance impacts on ecosystems. Understanding how society perceive this species, its impacts and its management is important because a potential opposition to control its population, may have negative implications for ecological conservation. To assess such societal perception on deer and their socioecological context, we surveyed 2,400 people from six European countries: Spain, France, United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, and Sweden. Across Europe, almost everybody knew this species (>99%), mainly because they have seen it in the wild, in books, or on television. Although some differences existed among countries, Europeans generally attributed positive ecosystem services to the red deer, being the most frequently selected ones cultural (by 43%), regulation (35%) and provision (22%) services. Almost 90% of the interviewees liked red deer, 47% would like to see an increase in deer populations, and 49% were worried by the impact of human activities on this species. This study reveals a high appreciation of red deer by European society, and suggests that deer populations control may face social opposition

Preservation and sustainable use of biodiversity brings multiple health, societal and economic benefits, including life-supporting services. Biodiversity indicators are important in framing the benefits of conservation and management programs and monitoring progress toward their outcomes. Biodiversity indicators therefore provide useful tools for policymakers in helping to communicate the benefits of conservation to society but also in garnering public support for conservation. This research aimed to help improve our understanding of the role of biodiversity indicators in the way that they influence preferences towards conservation programs. A discrete choice experiment was used to estimate relative societal preferences towards multilevel dimensions of biodiversity in relation to the conservation of pine forests in the Spanish Iberian Peninsula. Results show that (i) the level of biodiversity indicator (within species, between species and within ecosystems) matters, (ii) indicators related to the biodiversity within ecosystems are valued the most, and (iii) the use of several biodiversity indicators together is generally better at delivering benefits to society, but the value of these is reduced where there is redundancy between them. Overall, the most preferred indicators were the area of land covered by the conservation project, the status of keystone ecosystem components, and the number of native species. Some indicators such as invasive alien species and genetic diversity are least preferred and may be less helpful to how conservation efforts are perceived by the citizens. By careful consideration of which biodiversity indicators to use, policymakers and conservation managers can maximize societal acceptability of public investments in conservation efforts.

Only a handful of bird species can be considered specialists of Mediterranean pine forests; however, many forest birds occupy pine and mixed forest, due to the biogeographic history of Mediterranean forest birds. Nevertheless, pine forest bird communities show clear-cut responses to changes in forest distribution, structure and composition at both local and landscape scales. Both forest management (especially plantation and harvesting strategies, forest fragmentation and landscape distribution of pine stands) and climate change may have strong effects on bird communities, and potential interactions between these two drivers may mitigate, or amplify, negative effects, depending on management strategies. Relationships are non-linear, with saturation points at which biodiversity increases no further (and may even decrease). Furthermore, relationships vary geographically and temporally due to interactions with climate and landscape-scale land uses. Bird diversity provides direct regulating ecosystem services of pest control and seed dispersal, cultural services, and even provisioning services in the case of game birds. Knowledge of the variable relationships between bird diversity, societal attitudes and the effects of global change drivers on pine forests is essential for designing realistic, regionally adapted management strategies aimed at enhancing the multifunctional role of forests beyond the market.

Estudios recientes sugieren que las poblaciones de meloncillo (Herpestes ichneumon) podrían haberse expandido en la Península Ibérica. Al mismo tiempo, las quejas del sector cinegético han aumentado por el supuesto impacto de este depredador sobre las especies de caza menor, demandando en ocasiones que se autorice el control de sus poblaciones. Sin embargo, no se conoce la percepción que del meloncillo tiene la sociedad del mundo rural ni sus preferencias en torno a la gestión de esta especie. Para estudiar estos aspectos en Castilla-La Mancha distribuimos un cuestionario online a través de un panel de consumidores del medio rural de esta Comunidad Autónoma (n= 452) que contempló cuotas de género y edad. Nuestros resultados mostraron un bajo conocimiento del meloncillo entre los participantes: más del 70% no conocía la especie o no estaba seguro de conocerla y menos del 6% consiguieron nombrarla correctamente. La mayoría de los participantes no asociaron al meloncillo con impactos (positivos o negativos) sobre los ecosistemas o actividades humanas. No obstante, algo más de la mitad estaba de acuerdo con que el meloncillo mantiene el equilibrio de las especies presa y un 45% con que su presencia ayuda a la conservación de la biodiversidad. Cerca del 25% respondieron que no sabían si debería hacerse algo para favorecer o evitar la expansión del meloncillo y el 36% opinó que no se debería intervenir. En esta misma línea, se incluyó en el cuestionario un experimento de elección de escenarios de gestión y los resultados indicaron que los participantes no estarían dispuestos a pagar para favorecer o evitar la expansión del meloncillo, pero sí para que se permitiese una expansión natural de la especie. Esto se podría explicar porque la evolución de la especie no es preocupante en la actualidad para la sociedad rural manchega y/o por su desconocimiento de este mesocarnívoro

Plantations with alien forest species could be a major way for invasive plant and animal species to become introduced and naturally established in a territory, but the sensitivity of plantations with native forest species to invasive plant and animal species is still unknown. This paper studies the probability of the presence and the richness of invasive species of three different taxa (plants, birds, and mammals) in pine forests of southwestern Europe. To do so, the relative contribution from natural and planted forests is analysed to explain the presence and the richness of invasive species in 3950 cells (10 km _ 10 km) covering Spain after controlling for the possible effects of variables related to geography, climate, land use, landscape, and human pressure on the environment. Our results show that man’s influence on the establishment of invasive species is notable. However, those forests that are the most intensely managed by man, such as pine plantations with native species, seem less susceptible to the establishment and propagation of invasive species. Reasons may be found in those planted pine forests being closely monitored, controlled, and managed by man. Therefore, it is argued that efforts related to the early warning systems of invasive species should be focused on natural pine forests.