Wildlifemanagementin Europe Outsidethe Sovietunion
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Ø18. Wildlifemanagementin Europe outsidethe SovietUnion SveinMyrberget NORSKINSTITUTTFORNATURFORSKNING Wildlifemanagementin Europe outsidetheSovietUnion SveinMyrberget NORSKINSTITUITFORNATURFORSKNING • ninautredning018 Myrberget, S. 1990. Wildlife management in Europe outside the Soviet Union. NINA Utredning 018: 1-47. Trondheim, June 1990 ISBN 82-426-0085-6 ISSN 0802-3107 Classification of the publication: Norwegian: Jaktbart vilt- English: Game species Copyright (C) NINA Norwegian Institute of Nature Research The report may be sited when reference is given Editors: Eli Fremstad and Svein Myrberget Layout: Eva M. Schjetne Kari Sivertsen NINA, Grafisk kontor Print Bjærum Grafiske a/s Edition: 500 Adress: NINA Tungasletta 2 N-7004 Trondheim Tlf.: 47 + 7 58 05 00 © Norwegian institute for nature research (NINA) 2010 http://www.nina.no Please contact NINA, NO-7485 TRONDHEIM, NORWAY for reproduction of tables, figures and other illustrations in this report. nina utredning 018 Abstract Referat Myrberget, S. 1990. Wildlife management in Europe outside Myrberget, S. 1990. Viltstell i Europa utenom Sovjet-Unionen. the Soviet Union. - NINA Utredning 018: 1-47. -NINA Utredning 018: 1-47. A review is given on principles and practices used in wildlife En oversikt er gitt over prinsipper og praksis brukt i viltstellet i management in Europe outside the Soviet Union. Emphasis is Europa, Sovjet-unionen unntatt. Vekten er lagt på jaktbare placed on game species, but some conservation measures for arter, men også noen vernetiltak for truede arter er beskrevet. threatened mammals and birds are also described. Manage- Metodene benyttet i viltstellet varierer fra land til land. De ment practices vary from country to country. The most pro- mest produktive jaktbare bestander har man i land hvor ductive game harvesting systems are found in areas where grunneierne eier jaktretten eller hvor myndigheter eller jeger- landowners control hunting rights, or where the harvest is organisasjoner strengt regulerer jaktuttaket. I en del andre strictly controlled by official authorities or hunting organiza- land hvor jaktretten er fri, er åpenbart mange viltbestander tions. In some other countries where hunting rights are free, overbeskattet, og motstanden mot jakt er økende. Det er ca. many game populations appear to be over-exploited, and 8 millioner jegere i området, dvs. 1,6 jeger pr. km2 landområ- general opposition to hunting is increasing. There are about de. 8 million hunters in the area described, i.e. 1.6 hunter per km2 land area. Emneord: Viltstell - faunavern - jakt - jegere. Key words: Game management - wildlife - fauna protection - Svein Myrberget, Norsk institutt for naturforskning, Tungas- hunting. letta 2, 7004 Trondheim. Svein Myrberget, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Tungasletta 2, N-7004 Trondheim, Norway. 3 ninautredning018 Preface In 1987, I was invited to write a chapterfor a planned book on InternationalWildlife Management on the situationin Eu- ropeoutsidethe SovietUnion. In keepingwith my promiseto do so,the manuscriptwasdeliveredto the editorsin 1988. However, it soon became obviousthat there would be con- siderabledifficultyin obtaining reportsfor all continents.In the autumn of 1989, the book programwas dissolved. This report is a slightlyrevisedversionof the chapter intend- ed for the book. Most changeshave been editorial,or are re- lated to adjustmentsin the emphasison different manage- ment schemes.Recentinformationand referencesareadded. Some Fennoscandianmanagementpracticesaredescribedin greater detail. However, the report largelyfollows the plan and styleof the originalmanuscript. Many personsandorganizationshavefulfilledmy requestfor information.In particularI would liketo thank E. Ueckermann (FRG)and J. Kovacs(Hungary).Among the many other per- sonswho have kindly given me information, I will mention the following: M. Adamic(Yugoslavia),R.Anderegg(Switzer- land), P. Bjurholm(Swedep), J. Bojarkski(Poland),D. Bloch (The Faeroes),J.Castroviejo(Spain),S. Eis(Denmark), A. Er- mala (Finland), H. Gossow (Austria), J. van Haaften (The Netherlands),J. Harberg (Aaland Islands,Finland), J. Harra- dine (UK), A. Krier (Luxembourg), C. Krogell (Finland), A. Merriggi (Italy), K. Perzanowski(Poland), S. Siebenga (The Netherlands),T. Serez(Turkey), M. Spagnesi(Italy), F. Spina (Italy), H. Tenedios(Greece), P. Vikberg (Finland), A. Volken (Switzerland)and J.Whelan (Ireland).A numberof colleagues havemade usefulcommentson a preliminarymanuscript,in- cluding H. Strandgaard (Denmark) and D. Potts (UK), to whom I send specialthanks. However, I am personallyre- sponsiblefor any possibleerrorsor misunderstandingspre- sentedin the report. Amy Lightfoothasgiven valuablelinguisticassistance.Anne- BritSolbakkendidmuch of the typing; KariSivertsenandEva Schjetnetechnicallyedited the final version.The Norwegian Institutefor Nature Researchand the Directoratefor Nature Management have providedfinancialsupportfor which I am verygrateful. SveinMyrberget Trondheim,January1990 4 © Norwegian institute for nature research (NINA) 2010 http://www.nina.no Please contact NINA, NO-7485 TRONDHEIM, NORWAY for reproduction of tables, figures and other illustrations in this report. nina utredning018 Contents 5 Game population distribution, status and harvest...„24 5.1 Waterfowl 24 5.2 Other small game species 25 side 5.3 Big game 26 Abstract 3 5.4 Carnivorous mammals 27 Referat 3 5.5 Economic value of hunting 28 Preface 4 6 Challenges and special problems 29 1 introduction 6 6.1 Pollution 29 1.1 Wildlife versus game 6 6.2 Human use of land and resources 30 1.2 What is wildlife management 7 7 6.3 Wildlife damage 31 2 Historical perspective 8 7 Fauna protection 32 2.1 Prehistory 8 7.1 Threatened species 32 2.2 Historical times up to 1850 8 7.2 introductions 33 2.3 Synthesis 11 7.3 Game management versusconservation 33 34 3 Authority to manage wildlife 12 8 Wildlife research 12 3.1 Official authorities 35 3.2 Hunting rights 12 9 Conduding remarks 13 3.3 The number of hunters 36 3.4 Hunting organizations 14 10 Summary 3.5 Education in wildlife management and hunting 14 • 37 il Sammendrag 4 Management systems 15 4.1 Migratory birds 15 12 References 38 4.2 Resident small game 16 4.3 Big game hunting outside Fennoscandia 19 4.4 Big game in the Fennoscandia 21 4.5 Large mammalian predators 23 nina utredning 018 1 Introduction • The definitionof "game"does not take into considerationthe purpokeof the harvest,which may be exploitationas meat, skinsor trophies.Much hunting isdone for the sakeof sport. The purposeof this reportisto presenta shortreviewof how Some speciesare controlled for various reasons.In some wildlife is managed within Europe. Emphasisis placed on countries,the pkking of eggs of certain speciesis regulated management principles. Some management practices are by game acts,e.g. in Norway and on the Faroes.Commercial also described in detail, in particularthose undertaken by sealingand whaling are not included in the categorygame centralor localauthoritiesand by hunting organizations.The hunting. reportdoesnot providemanyguidelineson how privateindi- vidualsmay aid wildlife. Specieswhich are hunted vary from countryto country and with the passageof time. As an example,the stoat (Mustela The original proposalfor this report excludedthe European erminea) and the squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) were important partof the SovietUnion(USSR).lt doesnot includeany infor- sourcesof fur in Fennoscandiauntil World War II, but are sel- mation on wildlife in Cyprus,the Azoresor Madeira. Areas dom exploited today. Eider ducks (Somateria mollissima) situatedoutside the Palearctic(e.g. Greenland) are also ex- have been protected in Norway for more than 100 years, , cluded, as are small republicslike Monaco and San Marino. while they constituteone of the most important game spe- No informationwas availablefrom Albania. ciesin Denmark. Most raptorsand owls are protectedin the majority of Europeancountries today, although they were The northern limit of Europeis 800 N at Svalbard(Norway). once heavilypersecuted. EuropeincludesIceland in the northwest,and the southern border is formed by the Mediterranean and the islandsof Many countries have compiled lists of "game" and "non- Malta and Crete (approximately350 N). The total land area, game" species.Within the latter categorya group of "pesi" exclusiveof the USSR,comprises4900 km2, and the popula- speciesmay be defined.Definitionsand their usagevaryfrom tion isabout 500 million. countryto country.An example regardingbirdsis the Game Act in Great Britain,which stipulatesa closedseasonfor Galli- The naturalhabitats,culturesand historyof Europeare asvar- formesbirds.The Wildlifeand CountrysideAct 1981 included ied as the multitude of economic and political systems. hunting regulatiorisfor some "sportingand quasi-sporting Therefore, practicesand principlesof wildlife management birds"(see RSPB1989). The last act alsolisteda number of alsodifferfrom countryto country. "pest"specieswhich may be caught or killed by authorized persons. The informationgiven is not equallycomprehensiveand de- tailedfor all partsof Europe.Thisis mainlydue to restrictions In certaincountries,laws regulatinghunting alsogovern the in the author'spersonalknowledge,which is more adequate protectionof non-hunted species.Such is the case in Nor- for Nordic countries.Much of the literaturestudiedwas writ- way, where nearly all mammals, all birds, amphibiansand ten in Englishand German. Hence, Mediterraneanareasare reptilesare referredto