Landscape selection by migratory geese: Implications for hunting organisation ...

• Main Authors: Jensen, Gitte Høj, Pellissier, Loïc, Tombre, Ingunn M., Madsen, Jesper
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: ETH Zurich 2017
• Subjects: Anser brachyrhynchus
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000128596; http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/128596

Over the last decades, many wild goose populations have increased significantly and are now causing conflicts with socioeconomic and biological interests. To mitigate impacts of rapid population increases, population control by increasing harvest has been attempted. In this study we seek to guide the design of a regional autumn goose hunting organisation in agricultural landscapes by identifying areas suitable for hunting, which have high probability of occurrence of pinkfooted geese Anser brachyrhynchus and/or a short return time by geese to fields subject to hunting. To identify areas suitable for hunting in Nord-Trøndelag County, mid-Norway, we used species distributions models (SDMs), a broadly accepted tool in conservation planning for spatial refuge organisation. The prediction was that the highest probability of goose occurrence exists for large fields, away from small roads and near water bodies serving as safe roosting sites. Additionally, return time was predicted to be shortest for large fields ... : Wildlife Biology, 2017 (1) ...