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Habitat preferences of the Eurasian badger (Meles meles) in Croatia

In Croatia badger occupy a large range of terrestrial habitats. Comparison of habitat type composition in parts of the Continental and Mediterranean bio-geographic region of Croatia has been made. In the period 2009-2011, 24 individuals from the Continental, and 29 from the Mediterranean region has been collected by culling or found killed in road traffic accidents. Habitat types were identified by detecting the collection localities on the habitat maps which describe main habitat classes according to National Classification of Habitats. Continental region is characterized by dominance of cultivated non-forest area (62%), including patchy distributed agricultural land with natural vegetation, such as hedgerows and field boundaries. Deciduous forests of willows, black and white poplars, narrow-leaved ash, and pedunculate oak grows in the lowland river basins. In the Mediterranean region, the agricultural land is less present with 9%. The key habitats for badger (33%) are mixed forests and scrubland of pubescent oak and hop hornbeam, and maquis of holm oak. Dry calcareous grasslands enable 22% of the badger’s habitat. Class of constructed and industrial habitats indicates intensity of the human impact in changing environment. The percentage is estimated on 6% in the Continental, and 3% in the Mediterranean region.

habitat ; badger ; Croatia

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