Common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus l.1758) management in Serbia

The common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus L. 1758) is an allochtonous game species of great importance to the hunting sector in Serbia. Growing concerns over a decline in its population raise issues about the proper management and hunting of common pheasants. As this research tends to identify the importance of common pheasants to Serbian hunters, the present study is based on a mixed research model combining traditional analyses with social studies on Serbian hunters. The data utilized have been collected from the annual management plans of 272 hunting grounds across Serbia and the interviews with 377 hunters. The results obtained suggest that there are significant differences between the analyzed variables in the management plans examined, which indicates that the pheasant hunting management in Serbia is not harmonized. However, the social studies conducted identify the common pheasant as the most hunted and popular game species with Serbian hunters. Accordingly, the common pheasant hunting and management in Serbia has to be improved in order to meet the hunters' expectations and ensure their satisfaction

Analysis of the features of hunting grounds in Serbia

Covering almost the entire territory of Serbia, hunting grounds occupy a unique role not only in the country's hunting practices but also in game management and wildlife conservation. Therefore, it is useful to be acquainted with their characteristics in order to manage game in a sustainable manner. Nevertheless, there has not been a proper study on the condition of hunting grounds in Serbia since the country's transition process, which reshaped the hunting sector as a whole. The purpose of this research is to identify and analyze the features of hunting grounds in Serbia in order to establish a base for future scientific research and appropriate decision making. The research results were obtained on the basis of the data on 272 hunting grounds in Serbia, collated during the hunting year of 2012/2013 and compared with the last comprehensive hunting analysis at the national level in 2001. The analysis suggests that the regal hunting system is still predominant in Serbia. The quality of hunting grounds has been enhanced to a certain extent, although there are yet some challenges which pose a threat to sustainable management such as the oversized hunting areas, lack of employees and poor financial condition.Lovišta u Srbiji imaju jedinstvenu ulogu, pošto se prostiru preko skoro celokupne državne teritorije i služe na samo za lov, nego i za gazdovanje divljači i zaštitu divljih životinja. Zbog toga je korisno poznavati njihove osobine da bi se moglo gazdovati divljači na održiv način. Uprkos svojoj ulozi, od tranzicionih promena u Srbiji koje su preoblikovale i lovstvo, nije bilo odgovarajuće studije koja bi na nacionalnom nivou utvrdila stanje lovišta. Cilj ovog istraživanja je da analizira osobine lovišta u Srbiji i identifikuje njihove karakteristike radi uspostavljanja osnove za buduća naučna istraživanja i odgovarajuće donošenje odluka. Rezultati ovog istraživanja su dobijeni na osnovu podataka prikupljenih iz 272 lovišta u Srbiji za lovnu 2012/2013 godinu i upoređeni sa poslednjom sveobuhvatnom analizom lovstva na nacionalnom nivou iz 2001. godine. Analiza ukazuje da je u Srbiji i dalje dominantan regalni sistem gazdovanja. Kvalitet lovišta je donekle poboljšan, iako i dalje postoje izazovi koji ugrožavaju održivo gazdovanje, kao što su prevelike površine lovišta, nedovoljan broj zaposlenih i teška finansijska situacija

Assessing the origin, genetic structure and demographic history of the common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) in the introduced European range

The common pheasant, a game species widely introduced throughout the world, can be considered as an ideal model to study the efects of introduction events on local adaptations, biogeographic patterns, and genetic divergence processes. We aimed to assess the origin, spatial patterns of genetic variation, and demographic history of the introduced populations in the contact zone of Central and Southeast Europe, using mitochondrial DNA control region sequences and microsatellite loci. Both types of molecular markers indicated relatively low to moderate levels of genetic variation. The mtDNA analyses revealed that common pheasants across the study area are divided into two distinct clades: B (mongolicus group) and F (colchicus group). Analyses of the microsatellite data consistently suggested a diferentiation between Hungary and Serbia, with the pheasant population in Hungary being much more genetically homogeneous, while that of Serbia has much more genetic mixture and admixture. This cryptic diferentiation was not detected using a non-spatial Bayesian clustering model. The analyses also provided strong evidence for a recent population expansion. This fundamental information is essential for adequate and efective conservation management of populations of a game species of great economic and ecological importance in the studied geographical region.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Correlation between seedling length and Canadian Douglas-fir height

This paper presents the results of the studies of Douglas-fir seeds from Canada aimed at understanding and controlling the processes of the genetic growth potential of Douglas-fir in Serbia. The research was focused on the early stage of Douglas-fir growth, i.e. at the stage of seed germination in the laboratory. We tested the correlation between seed germination, seedling length and the height of plants in the nursery. The seeds from 13 Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) localities were obtained from Canada and compared under laboratory and nursery conditions. The seeds from different altitudes, latitudes and longitudes come from a part of the natural range of Douglas-fir in Canada. Before they are transferred and introduced, seed material must be tested with regard to the potential success of the selected tree species within the shortest possible time. This is necessary for the introduction of a tree species with a widespread natural range. Douglas-fir is a highly productive coniferous tree species with a broad geographical and ecological range. It has a wider natural range than other conifers and greater chances of successful adaptation to new ecosystems. Descriptive statistics, analysis of variance for regression, regression and correlation were used to analyse the data. A strong correlation was established between the height of four-year-old seedlings and seed characteristics (germination rate and seedling length)

Analysis of the Features of Hunting Grounds in Serbia

Covering almost the entire territory of Serbia, hunting grounds occupy a unique role not only in the country’s hunting practices but also in game management and wildlife conservation. Therefore, it is useful to be acquainted with their characteristics in order to manage game in a sustainable manner. Nevertheless, there has not been a proper study on the condition of hunting grounds in Serbia since the country’s transition process, which reshaped the hunting sector as a whole. The purpose of this research is to identify and analyze the features of hunting grounds in Serbia in order to establish a base for future scientific research and appropriate decision making. The research results were obtained on the basis of the data on 272 hunting grounds in Serbia, collated during the hunting year of 2012/2013 and compared with the last comprehensive hunting analysis at the national level in 2001. The analysis suggests that the regal hunting system is still predominant in Serbia. The quality of hunting grounds has been enhanced to a certain extent, although there are yet some challenges which pose a threat to sustainable management such as the oversized hunting areas, lack of employees and poor financial condition

Mapping the Research Landscape on Poaching: A Decadal Systematic Review

Poaching is a widespread activity that affects wildlife management goals and undermines conservation efforts worldwide. Despite its complexity, poaching is still commonly addressed by researchers as a one-dimensional phenomenon. To deepen the scientific understanding of poaching, we conducted a systematic literature review in the Web of Science and Scopus databases for the last 10 years, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses methodology. We found that most studies were carried out in Africa, although 43% of all articles on poaching were published by researchers from the United States and the United Kingdom. The most studied species are elephants (22%), rhinos (19%), wolves (9%), and bears (6%). Although this study identified a wide range of motives and drivers behind poaching activities, more than half of the analyzed articles do not attempt to provide a deeper understanding of this phenomenon. Its understanding of poaching usually does not go beyond the environmental impact of illegal hunting. Our study’s potential limitations may relate to the focus on exclusively English-language articles and, among them, only those discussing mammal, bird, and reptile species. Our findings indicate that global scientific knowledge on poaching in the last 10 years is biased. There is an imbalance between the developed countries that mostly produce knowledge on poaching (usually from Northern America and Europe) and the developing countries commonly an object of interest. This bias is potentially challenging, as the global scientific knowledge on poaching comes from limited experience based on charismatic species and selective case studies. To overcome this gap and develop a deeper understanding of poaching, the scientific community needs to overcome this bias and address illegal hunting wherever it affects the environment and undermines conservation efforts