Naslov
Where do we go? Bearings of adjusted Croatian brown bear management practice.

Autori
Reljić, Slaven ; Meijer, Toman Tjalling ; Huber, Djuro

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, ostalo

Izvornik
Book of Abstracts of the 25th International Conference on Bear Research & Management (IBA). / - Quito, 2017, 115-115

ISBN
978-9942-8545-9-9

Skup
25th International Conference on Bear Research & Management.

Mjesto i datum
Quito, Ekvador, 13.11.2017. - 17.11.2017

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
Brown bear, home range, management.

Sažetak
Managing large carnivores, particularly hunted brown bears, is a highly challenging task, not only because they are umbrella species and their large home ranges spreading across national borders, but also due to the various stakeholders involved in their management: authorities, hunting right owners, researchers, local inhabitants, and wider public. To make management practice sustainable and population viable throughout time, one must balance all biological and ecological characteristics of bears with international and national management demands. In 2005 the brown bear management plan was implemented in Croatia for the first time. After six years of implementation, according to population modelling results management practice has been adjusted. In 2012, the rule was introduced that the prescribed share of hunted bears in the same hunting ground must be below 100 kg to increase female ratio of hunted animals. Additionally, in 2013 the yearly quota was increased from 100 to 120. We compared brown bear mortality data from first six years 2005-2010 (scenario 1) and last five years 2012-2016 (scenario 2). We constructed a Leslie matrix model assuming that the Croatian bear population was closed. All compared results were significantly different (p<0.001). Average quota accomplishment for the first period was 74.7% and for the second 98.8%. On average, 89 bears were removed annually from 2005-2010 compared with 137 for the second period. Males represented 77% and 68% of hunted bears, respectively. The average age of bears shot in quota hunting decreased from 5.2 to 4.3 years, as well as survivorship for both sexes at the end of the 4th year from 0.52 to 0.41. By modelling a 10-year period in scenario 1 the female ratio would grow significantly to 57.3%, and in scenario 2 to 60.5% with a lack of older males (after 10 and eight years, respectively). Population growth was λ=1.094±0.025 (mean ± sd) over 10-year period in first scenario and 1.045±0.029 in a second scenario. The adjusted practice brought about the desired alterations regarding sex and age structure of hunted animals but with even more pronounced lack of older males in the remaining population.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Biologija, Veterinarska medicina

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