The results of the research
The conservation work that European hunters are carrying out in favor of habitats and bird species is increasingly recognized by the scientific community. The Journal of Nature Conservation recently published the article “Habitat Management by Hunters in the Western Route of the European dove: opportunities and pitfalls for connecting with sustainable hunting”, with Carlos Sánchez-Garcia, research director of the Artemisan Foundation, as lead author. In a statement to FACE, Carlos Sánchez-Garcia highlighted the key findings of this document for future policies related to hunting and conservation of the turtle dove (Streptopelia turtur), stating: “although the contribution of hunters to habitat conservation in Europe were already known, this is an important scientific contribution that shows in detail the efforts being carried out on the hunting grounds of France, Spain and Portugal, together with the need for greater support to provide the right habitat on a larger scale."
Motivations and obstacles
This was based on a survey conducted in the three main countries of the western route: Portugal, Spain and France. The survey aimed to describe and quantify measures applied on hunting grounds that favor turtle doves, understand where turtle doves are a target species for management, and identify motivations and barriers in implementing management measures targeting turtle doves. The authors received 931 survey responses, representing 7% of the regulated hunting area in Portugal, 2,3% in Spain and 56,5% in France, with responses from France coming from the departmental administrative level.
The percentages
Although the species is under moratorium in these countries, half of the hunting areas examined indicated the turtle dove as a target species for game management. In particular, 98% of respondents from Portugal and Spain provided water during the summer and 84% of the total hunting grounds provided food. Additionally, 50% of respondents managed woodland and 47% implemented agricultural management measures, which are crucial for the turtle dove as it thrives in the ecotone between woodland and agricultural habitats. Additionally, 58% of respondents said additional management measures focused on turtle dove could be implemented. The main obstacles preventing further measures by hunters were financing, as hunters and game managers self-finance the management conducted in most cases, and land use governance, as land management decisions they belong to the landowner and it is not always possible for hunters to participate in such decisions.
The advantages for the dove
The article highlights that a significant proportion of hunting grounds adopt management measures that can benefit the turtle dove during the breeding season in Europe, although they are not exclusively targeted at the species. For example, the management of small game species, such as providing habitat for feeding (field edges, wildlife crops, etc.) and nesting (shrub and forest management) or cereals and additional water for partridges, or management practices aimed at wild rabbits, hares or pheasants which often include the implementation of cover crops, field margins and hedgerow management. Targeted management of large game in Spain, such as red deer and roe deer, also includes forest and crop management that improves the availability of wild seed for turtle dove. A wide range and diversity of habitat management are implemented by hunters and have a positive impact on turtle dove conservation and recovery.
The conclusions
In conclusion, this article provides further evidence on the crucial role that European hunters play in wildlife conservation by conducting habitat management and investing large resources to improve habitats, at their own expense. In light of the current serious concern about habitat quality in the EU, demonstrated by the latest EU State of Nature Report, and the emphasis on the need to restore habitat (e.g. EU law on nature restoration), it is clear that hunters are key actors contributing to the EU's biodiversity and conservation objectives, including turtle dove recovery (source: FACE).
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