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[Purpose] To estimate the predation impact of an expanding mesocarnivore, the Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon), on the populations of two declining prey species highly valued by hunters in southern Europe, the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and the red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa)., [Methods] We estimated the densities of mongooses, rabbits and partridges in three study areas of central Spain. Mongoose density was estimated with a generalized spatial mark-resight model including live capture-recapture data, capture-resisght data from camera-traps and telemetry data from GPS-tagged indviduals. Mongoose diet was estimated from food remains found in scats. Mongoose predation impact on rabbits and partridges was estimated by comparing the number of individuals consumed by the predator population with the estimated total prey populations., [Conclusions] The predation impact on rabbits in the area with the highest rabbit density was low and higher in the other areas. In contrast, the predation impact on partridge populations was negligible or low in all the study areas.

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.

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

[EN] This dataset provides the raw results of montane water vole (Arvicola amphibius cantabriae) surveys in 303 fixed points where molehills were counted annually between 2016 and 2023. The points are located in Meadows, grasslands and forests. The main objective of the survey was to obtain a relative abundance index of water vole, but presence of other species (Lusitanian pine vole, Microtus lusitanicus, Spanish mole, Talpa occidentalis, cattle and horse) was also sampled. This dataset will be actualized with new data obtained uring the following years., [ES] Este conjunto de datos proporciona los resultados brutos de los censos de rata topera (Arvicola amphibius cantabriae) en 303 puntos fijos donde se contaron toperas anualmente entre 2016 y 2023. Los puntos están ubicados en prados, pastizales y bosques. El principal objetivo del muestreo era obtener un índice de abundancia relativa de la rata topera, pero también se muestreó la presencia de otras especies (topillo lusitano, Microtus lusitanicus, topo ibérico, Talpa occidentalis, vacas y caballos). Este conjunto de datos se actualizará con nuevos datos obtenidos en los próximos años.

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.

The human dimension of wildlife is increasingly addressed in socioecological studies on the growth of some wildlife populations in Europe, which frequently leads to conflicts, particularly when wild populations inhabit or reach humanized landscapes. In Europe, ungulates have been increasing in number and distribution, especially the wild boar (Sus scrofa). This has been a cause of concern, given the increase in traffic accidents, diseases, and crop damage caused by the wild boar. These impacts could shape people’s perception regarding this species, but sociocultural factors can influence a favorable perception. This study examines people’s perception of the wild boar in Portugal, collecting responses from 1532 individuals, including farmers, hunters, and the general public. Three indexes were created to analyze perception: interest in wildlife, perception of benefits, and perception of damage associated with wild boar. Respondents had, in general, a positive perception of the wild boar. Farmers were more aware of wild boar increasing trends and had a higher damage perception and a lower perception of species benefits. This was expected, considering the increasing damages caused by wild boar to crops. Hunters showed an intermediate perception between the farmers and the general public that mainly highlighted the benefits. This study is valuable in providing data to orientate awareness-raising actions, as well as management strategies to tackle wild boar densities, such as hunting coupled with other methods. It is of the utmost importance the application of compensatory schemes, through the government, as an end-of-line measure. Future research should focus on adaptive management involving multidisciplinary teams.

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

Prey species develop anti-predatory strategies as a response to minimising the risk of being predated. However, how the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) adapts to different predator pressure is not fully known. Here, we studied the adaptive anti-predatory responses of European rabbits exposed to different terrestrial predation pressure. To do this, we took advantage of a rabbit translocation programme in the Sierra Norte Natural Park of Sevilla (SW Spain), where rabbits from the same donor population were translocated in plots with and without terrestrial predator exclusion fences (aerial predation was not excluded in any of the plots). This presented an ideal opportunity to observe whether the behaviour of individuals from the same population adapts to situations with different predator pressure; thus, their behaviour was evaluated through direct observations. Although most rabbits were observed close to cover, differences in distance to cover, group size and behaviour were observed between fenced and unfenced plots. Overall, both adult and juvenile rabbits moved further from cover in the unfenced plot than in the fenced plot. Most of the observations in the unfenced plot corresponded to rabbits in pairs or alone; whereas in the fenced plot, rabbits were primarily in pairs or in larger groups. Our findings suggest that in the unfenced plot, rabbits that moved further from cover were often part of larger groups (≥ 4 rabbits); whereas in the fenced plot, it was rabbits in smaller groups (< 4 rabbits). Rabbits in the unfenced plot were alert and running more frequently than rabbits in the fenced one; in the latter, these rabbits were mostly feeding. Other relaxed behaviours such us grooming or resting were more frequent close to cover. In summary, our results highlight rabbits' capacity to promptly adjust behaviour in response to predation risk, exhibiting adaptive anti-predatory responses tailored to different predation pressures. These insights contribute to

La investigación se centra en la posible influencia que han tenido los artistas de Land Art Christo y Jeanne-Claude en los desfiles de moda de Jacquemus. Para ello se lleva a cabo un análisis comparativo de sus obras, y se plantea el interrogante de si la estética de Jacquemus se forma a partir de la inspiración de la obra de Christo y Jeanne-Claude. Para comenzar se establece un contexto histórico, en el que se exploran diferentes casos en los que el mundo del arte y el mundo de la moda han llegado a confluir a lo largo de la historia. La obra de Christo y Jeanne-Claude se desglosa en cuatro escalas de trabajo diferentes, desde la escala del objeto hasta la escala del paisaje, que posteriormente van a servir para mirar la obra de Jacquemus bajo esos mismos criterios. La investigación concluye reflexionando sobre la posible influencia de los artistas de Land Art en la estética de Jacquemus, y abre puertas a posibles análisis e investigaciones más profundos sobre su obra y su impacto en la moda.

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.