Patterns and correlates of claims for brown bear damage on a continental scale

Wildlife damage to human property threatens human-wildlife coexistence. Conflicts arising from wildlife damage in intensively managed landscapes often undermine conservation efforts, making damage mitigation and compensation of special concern for wildlife conservation. However, the mechanisms underlying the occurrence of damage and claims at large scales are still poorly understood. Here, we investigated the patterns of damage caused by brown bears Ursus arctos and its ecological and socio-economic correlates at a continental scale. We compiled information about compensation schemes across 26 countries in Europe in 2005-2012 and analysed the variation in the number of compensated claims in relation to (i) bear abundance, (ii) forest availability, (iii) human land use, (iv) management practices and (v) indicators of economic wealth. Most European countries have a posteriori compensation schemes based on damage verification, which, in many cases, have operated for more than 30 years. On average, over 3200 claims of bear damage were compensated annually in Europe. The majority of claims were for damage to livestock (59%), distributed throughout the bear range, followed by damage to apiaries (21%) and agriculture (17%), mainly in Mediterranean and eastern European countries. The mean number of compensated claims per bear and year ranged from 0·1 in Estonia to 8·5 in Norway. This variation was not only due to the differences in compensation schemes; damage claims were less numerous in areas with supplementary feeding and with a high proportion of agricultural land. However, observed variation in compensated damage was not related to bear abundance. Synthesis and applications. Compensation schemes, management practices and human land use influence the number of claims for brown bear damage, while bear abundance does not. Policies that ignore this complexity and focus on a single factor, such as bear population size, may not be effective in reducing claims. To be effective, policies should be based on integrative schemes that prioritize damage prevention and make it a condition of payment of compensation that preventive measures are applied. Such integrative schemes should focus mitigation efforts in areas or populations where damage claims are more likely to occur. Similar studies using different species and continents might further improve our understanding of conflicts arising from wildlife damage

Distribution and relative densities of autochthonous ungulates in Slovenia

Poznavanje območij razširjenosti in gostot populacij prostoživečih živali je pomembno s temeljno-bioloških pa tudi upravljavskih vidikov. To zlasti velja za parkljarje, saj imajo pomembno ekosistemsko vlogo (npr. vplivi na obnovo indinamiko razvoja gozda, prehranska baza velikim zverem) in gospodarski pomen(škoda na kmetijskih in gozdnih zemljiščih, lovstvo). Namen raziskave je bil ugotoviti in prikazati območja razširjenosti in lokalne gostote srnjadi (Capreolus capreolus L.), jelenjadi (Cervus elaphus L.), divjega prašiča (Sus scrofa L.) in gamsa (Rupicapra rupicapra L.) za območje celotne Slovenije. V ta namen smo uporabili podatke o odvzemu (199.050 osebkov srnjadi, 22.960 jelenjadi, 31.777 divjega prašiča in 11.758 gamsa) iz baze Osrednji slovenski register velike lovne divjadi in velikih zveri za obdobje 2004-2008, ki so prostorsko opredeljeni s kilometrsko natančnostjo. S pomočjo fiksne kernelske metode smo za vse štiri vrste izdelali karte območij razširjenosti, ki ločujejo tri range gostot (kjer je bilo odvzetih 95, 65 oz. 35 % osebkov). Populacijska območja srnjadi pokrivajo 79,2 %, jelenjadi 35,8 %, divjega prašiča 46,0 % in gamsa 21,9 % površine države. V prispevku razglabljamo, kateri dejavniki vplivajo oz. so vplivali na razširjenost in gostote obravnavanih vrst.The knowledge of distribution and population densities of wild animals is important from both basic biological and management aspects. This is especially important for ungulates because of their ecosystem role (e.g. impacts on forest regeneration and forest dynamics, prey basis for large carnivores) and economic implications (damages in forestry and agriculture, hunting). The aim of this study was to determine and to present distribution and local densities of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus L.), red deer (Cervus elaphus L.), wild boar (Sus scrofa L.), and chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra L.) for whole Slovenia. We used data of recorded mortality (199 050 roe deer, 22 960 red deer, 31 777 wild boar, and 11 758 chamois) from the database of the "Central Slovenian register of game species and large carnivores" for the period 2004 - 2008, which are georeferenced with 1 km accuracy. We used fixed kernel method to present distribution maps for all four ungulate species with three ranks of their relative densities (95, 65, and 35 % of recorded dead animals). Distribution areas cover 79.2 %, 35.8 %, 46.0 %, and 21.9 % of territory of Slovenia for roe deer, red deer, wild boar, and chamois. We discuss the factors that affect or have affected distribution and densities of these species

Challenges for transboundary management of a European brown bear population

Pan-European legislation stimulates international cooperation to overarching challenges of large carnivore management across jurisdictions. We present an analysis for current transboundary brown bear (Ursus arctos) population management in Croatia and Slovenia. Slovenia\u27s bear management attempts aimed to reduce human-bear conflicts, by limiting the size and distribution of the bear population, with a relatively frequent use of intervention shooting. In contrast, fewer conflicts occur in Croatia and bears have been traditionally managed as a valuable game species, with heavily male-biased trophy hunting. On average 9% of the estimated bear population was removed annually in Croatia and 18% in Slovenia for the years 2005%2010. In Croatia, a greater proportion of adult males were shot than in Slovenia (80% vs 47% of total hunted males, respectively). We model a scenario for the shared panmictic population and two scenarios assuming that Croatian and Slovenian bear populations were spatially closed. When isolated, each countries\u27 policies lead to potentially undesired management directions. The Slovenian bear population showed a stable or slightly decreasing trend that maintained its sex and age structure, while the Croatian bear population showed an increase in size but with a possible lack of older male bear. The panmictic scenario showed that different management policies buffered each other out with the overall combined population trend being slightly increasing with a sustained age/sex structure. The recent geopolitical refugee crisis has led to the partial erection of border security fencing between the two countries. Our data illustrate how the impacts of constructed fencing put in place to address border security issues may also impact the fate of Europe\u27s bear populations and other wildlife species that use shared ecosystems