To feed or not to feed? Evidence of the intended and unintended effects of feeding wild ungulates

Ungulate populations are important natural resources, associated with both costs and benefits. Conflicts have arisen between stakeholders who benefit from high ungulate numbers and those faced with the costs. Supplementary or diversionary feeding may potentially mitigate conflicts while maintaining harvest yields but can have conservation implications. We quantified the empirical evidence for whether the intended effects, and hence management goals, of feeding are met. We also examined whether any potential unintended consequences of feeding occur and under what conditions. We found clear evidence that supplementary feeding enhanced reproduction and population growth under certain conditions. By contrast, we found limited evidence of the effectiveness of diversionary feeding to protect crops, forestry, and natural habitats, with positive effects often undermined by increases in ungulate density. However, the use of diversionary feeding to reduce traffic collisions seems promising but requires further investigation. The unintended effects of feeding are typically complex, involving changes to demography, behavior, and vegetation with consequent cascading effects on other trophic levels, as well as exacerbated risks of disease transmission. Increased ungulate density is the primary driver behind these unintended effects, the consequences of which tend to increase with longevity of feeding and affect a range of stakeholders. We urge managers to take seriously the risks as well as the economic and ethical issues before deciding to feed ungulate

Å fôra eller ikkje? Ei litteraturoversikt om fôring av storvilt

Ettersom storviltbestandane i Europa og Nord-Amerika har auka, ser folk ogso ulemper med tette bestandar. For å minska ulempene utan å redusera viltbestandane, har mange byrja å fôra. 2. Me har gått gjennom all tilgjengeleg litteratur for å sjå om forvaltarane nådde måla med fôringa og om fôringa hadde andre, ikkje planlagde fylgjer. 3. Me fann klare bevis for at fôring i periodar med lite anna fôr førde til større bestandar der kvart individ reproduserte betre. Haustvektene vart ikkje høgare ved fôring, haustvektene vart bestemt av sumarfôret. Me fann ikkje bevis for at forvaltarane klarte ved hjelp av fôring å trekkja beitinga bort frå innmark, ung furuskog eller andre attraktive matkjelder, truleg fordi det tilførde fôret ikkje tilfredsstilte nærings- og oppførselsbehova til viltet og fordi fôringa førde til tettare bestandar. Undersøkjingar viser at fôring har minska talet på påkøyrsler, men fleire undersøkjingar trengst for å få full visse. 4. Samling av mykje storvilt rundt fôringsplassar påverkar omgjevnadene. Effektane kan vera komplekse endringar i vegetasjonssamansetning og struktur. Dette kan påverka andre arter i systemet. Nokre sjukdomar vert lettare overførte når dyr samlar seg som rundt fôringsplassar. Ikkje planlagde fylgjer av fôring er lite studert, noko som gjer det vanskeleg å føreseia fylgjene. 5. Det er vanskeleg å rekna på økonomien for den einskilde jaktrettshavar då storviltbestandar gjerne kryssar eigedomsgrenser frå jakttid til fôringstid og ein ofte ikkje kjenner alle fylgjene. Fôringa fører gjerne til høgare og meir reproduktive bestandar og det kan vera vanskeleg å skilja negative verknader av det å fôra og det å ha tette bestandar. Tette bestandar kan ha langtidsverknader som folk kan oppfatta som bra eller dårlege. Før nokon set i gang større program med fôring av storvilt, bør dei grundig vurdera alle sider ved fôring og ha solid stønad frå grunneigarane i viltbestanden sitt heiltårsleveområde. Dersom dei vil slutta fôringa, må dei fyrst redusera viltbestanden. 6. Me har laga ei liste (kapittel 4.3) med punkt som forvaltarar bør gå gjennom og drøfta om dei vurderer å byrja fôra vilt.English: There are costs and benefits associated with large herbivore populations. As populations have grown, conflicts have arisen between stakeholders who benefit from high numbers and those faced with the costs. Feeding may potentially mitigate conflicts while maintaining harvest yields. 2. We created a series of hypotheses associated with the intended management goals of large herbivore feeding programmes and the commonly perceived unintended consequences. We quantified the empirical evidence in support of each hypothesis and established which factors determined the effectiveness of feeding and under what conditions unintended effects may occur. 3. We found clear and consistent evidence of demographic consequences of supplementary feeding. Reproduction and population size were enhanced in food-limited populations, where a high proportion of females had access to feed throughout the limiting season. By contrast, we found limited evidence of the effectiveness of diversionary feeding to protect crops, forestry and natural habitats, largely because any positive effects were undermined by high herbivore densities. The use of diversionary feeding to reduce traffic collisions requires further investigation. 4. Evidence indicates that unintended effects of feeding are likely when feeding causes aggregation and high densities, and when feed type does not match the foraging strategy of the target species. Unintended effects can be complex, involving habitat impacts, such as changes to vegetation composition and structure, with consequent cascading effects through the trophic levels. Disease transmission risks are also often increased. Unintended effects are generally less well studied, making clear predictions difficult. 5. The economic costs and benefits of feeding are typically borne by different stakeholder groups and may occur over different time-frames. Ethical views of feeding also vary between groups, ranging from obligation to undesirable step towards domestication. The risks of unintended consequences are likely to increase with longevity of feeding and should be considered at the outset. 6. We have written a list (chapter 4.3) with points that managers should discuss if they consider feeding wildlife

EAACI position paper on occupational rhinitis

The present document is the result of a consensus reached by a panel of experts from European and non-European countries on Occupational Rhinitis (OR), a disease of emerging relevance which has received little attention in comparison to occupational asthma. The document covers the main items of OR including epidemiology, diagnosis, management, socio-economic impact, preventive strategies and medicolegal issues. An operational definition and classification of OR tailored on that of occupational asthma, as well as a diagnostic algorithm based on steps allowing for different levels of diagnostic evidence are proposed. The needs for future research are pointed out. Key messages are issued for each item

Boom and bust of a moose population – a call for integrated forest management

This is the postprint version of the article. The published article can be located at www.springerlink.comThere is increasing pressure to manage forests for multiple objectives, including ecosystem services and biodiversity, alongside timber production. However, few forests are currently co-managed for timber and wildlife, despite potential economic and conservation benefits. We present empirical data from a commercial Norway spruce ( Picea abies ) and Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris ) production system in southern Norway in which moose ( Alces alces ) are an important secondary product. Combining long-term hunting and forestry records, we identified temporal vari- ation in clear-felling over the past five decades, peaking in the 1970s. Herbicide treatment of regenerating stands and a fivefold increase in moose harvest has lead to a reduction in availability of successional forest per moose of [ 90 % since the 1960s. Field estimates showed that spraying with the herbicide glyphosate reduced forage availability by 60 and 96 % in summer and winter, respectively, 4 years after treatment. It also reduced moose use and habitat selection of young spruce stands compared with unsprayed stands. Together these lines of evidence suggest that forest man- agement led to an increase in moose carrying capacity during the 1970s and a subsequent decline thereafter. This is likely to have contributed to observed reductions in moose population productivity in southern Norway and is counter to sustainable resource management. We therefore call for better integration and long-term planning between forestry and wildlife management to minimise forest damage and the development of large fluctuations in ungulate populations

To feed or not to feed? Evidence of the intended and unintended effects of feeding wild ungulates

Ungulate populations are important natural resources, associated with both costs and benefits. Conflicts have arisen between stakeholders who benefit from high ungulate numbers and those faced with the costs. Supplementary or diversionary feeding may potentially mitigate conflicts while maintaining harvest yields but can have conservation implications. We quantified the empirical evidence for whether the intended effects, and hence management goals, of feeding are met. We also examined whether any potential unintended consequences of feeding occur and under what conditions. We found clear evidence that supplementary feeding enhanced reproduction and population growth under certain conditions. By contrast, we found limited evidence of the effectiveness of diversionary feeding to protect crops, forestry, and natural habitats, with positive effects often undermined by increases in ungulate density. However, the use of diversionary feeding to reduce traffic collisions seems promising but requires further investigation. The unintended effects of feeding are typically complex, involving changes to demography, behavior, and vegetation with consequent cascading effects on other trophic levels, as well as exacerbated risks of disease transmission. Increased ungulate density is the primary driver behind these unintended effects, the consequences of which tend to increase with longevity of feeding and affect a range of stakeholders. We urge managers to take seriously the risks as well as the economic and ethical issues before deciding to feed ungulate

Nocturnal GERD - a risk factor for rhinitis/rhinosinusitis: the RHINE study.

To access publisher's full text version of this article click on the hyperlink at the bottom of the pageIt has been suggested that gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a risk factor for developing rhinitis/rhinosinusitis, but data are lacking. This is a prospective 10-year follow-up study of a large multicenter cohort from Northern Europe, evaluating the relationship between nocturnal GERD and noninfectious rhinitis (NIR).The study comprised 5417 subjects born between 1945 and 1973, who answered a questionnaire in 1999-2001 and again in 2010-2012. Noninfectious rhinitis was defined as having nasal obstruction, secretion, and/or sneezing without having the common cold. Odds ratios for developing NIR in relation to age, gender, BMI, smoking, asthma, and nocturnal GERD were calculated.During the 10-year observation period, 1034 subjects (19.1%) developed NIR. Subjects reporting nocturnal gastroesophageal reflux in both 1999 and 2010 had more NIR in 2010 (2.8% vs 1.2%, P < 0.001). There was a significant dose-response relationship between the number of reflux episodes/week in 1999 and the risk of having NIR in 2010, P = 0.02. In the multiple regression adjusted for age, gender, BMI, tobacco smoke, and asthma, those with nocturnal GERD in 1999 (≥3 episodes of nocturnal gastroesophageal reflux symptoms per week) had an OR of 1.6 (95% CI 1.0-2.5, P = 0.03) to develop NIR in 2010. Smoking was associated both with an increased risk of developing NIR (30.7% vs 24.0%, P < 0.001) and with the development of nocturnal GERD.This large, population-based, 10-year study indicates that nocturnal GERD was a risk factor for noninfectious rhinitis/rhinosinusitis. GERD should therefore be considered in patients with rhinitis of known and unknown origin.Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfar

Non-infectious rhinitis is more strongly associated with early—rather than late—onset of COPD: data from the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS)

Purpose: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with several co-morbidities and non-infectious rhinitis (NIR) has emerged as a new possible co-morbidity. The primary aim of this study is to confirm a previously reported association between NIR and COPD in a multicentre population over time. The secondary aim is to investigate the course over time of such an association through a comparison between early- and late-onset COPD. Methods: This study is part of the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS). A random adult population from 25 centres in Europe and one in Australia was examined with spirometry and answered a respiratory questionnaire in 1998–2002 (ECRHS II) and in 2008–2013 (ECRHS III). Symptoms of non-infectious rhinitis, hay fever and asthma, and smoking habits were reported. Subjects reporting asthma were excluded. COPD was defined as a spirometry ratio of FEV1/FVC &lt; 0.7. A total of 5901 subjects were included. Results: Non-infectious rhinitis was significantly more prevalent in subjects with COPD compared with no COPD (48.9% vs 37.1%, p &lt; 0.001) in ECRHS II (mean age 43) but not in ECHRS III (mean age 54). In the multivariable regression model adjusted for COPD, smoking, age, BMI, and gender, non-infectious rhinitis was associated with COPD in both ECRHS II and III. Conclusion: Non-infectious rhinitis was significantly more common in subjects with COPD at a mean age of 43. Ten years later, the association was weaker. The findings indicate that NIR could be associated with the early onset of COPD