Illegal killing associated with gamebird management accounts for up to three-quarters of annual mortality in Hen Harriers Circus cyaneus
Predators are frequently victims of wildlife crime due to conflicts with human interests. Where predators are protected, killing may occur covertly and novel methods, including satellite tracking, are often required to assess population consequences. Wildlife crime persists in the British uplands, w...
Published in: | Biological Conservation |
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Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
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2023
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Online Access: | https://pure.sruc.ac.uk/en/publications/c1804608-2b82-4c83-bdb8-b141d3150c33 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2023.110072 https://pure.sruc.ac.uk/ws/files/72580930/1-s2.0-S0006320723001738-main.pdf http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85161963863&partnerID=8YFLogxK |
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ftsrucpubl:oai:pure.atira.dk:publications/c1804608-2b82-4c83-bdb8-b141d3150c33 2024-06-23T07:52:10+00:00 Illegal killing associated with gamebird management accounts for up to three-quarters of annual mortality in Hen Harriers Circus cyaneus Ewing, Steven R. Thomas, Cathleen E. Butcher, Nigel Denman, Blánaid Douglas, David J.T. Anderson, David I.K. Anderson, Guy Q.A. Bray, James Downing, Steve Dugan, Ronan Etheridge, Brian Hayward, Will Howie, Fiona Roos, Staffan Thomas, Mark Weston, Jenny Smart, Jennifer Wilson, Jeremy D. 2023-07 application/pdf https://pure.sruc.ac.uk/en/publications/c1804608-2b82-4c83-bdb8-b141d3150c33 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2023.110072 https://pure.sruc.ac.uk/ws/files/72580930/1-s2.0-S0006320723001738-main.pdf http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85161963863&partnerID=8YFLogxK eng eng https://pure.sruc.ac.uk/en/publications/c1804608-2b82-4c83-bdb8-b141d3150c33 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Ewing , S R , Thomas , C E , Butcher , N , Denman , B , Douglas , D J T , Anderson , D I K , Anderson , G Q A , Bray , J , Downing , S , Dugan , R , Etheridge , B , Hayward , W , Howie , F , Roos , S , Thomas , M , Weston , J , Smart , J & Wilson , J D 2023 , ' Illegal killing associated with gamebird management accounts for up to three-quarters of annual mortality in Hen Harriers Circus cyaneus ' , Biological Conservation , vol. 283 , 110072 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2023.110072 Conservation conflict Continuous time survival analysis Raptors Satellite tracking Uplands /dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/good_health_and_well_being name=SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being /dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/life_on_land name=SDG 15 - Life on Land /dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/peace_justice_and_strong_institutions name=SDG 16 - Peace Justice and Strong Institutions article 2023 ftsrucpubl https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2023.110072 2024-05-29T23:44:27Z Predators are frequently victims of wildlife crime due to conflicts with human interests. Where predators are protected, killing may occur covertly and novel methods, including satellite tracking, are often required to assess population consequences. Wildlife crime persists in the British uplands, where raptors are illegally killed on moorland managed for Red Grouse Lagopus lagopus scotica shooting. To understand impacts on one such species, the Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus, we analysed data from 148 individuals tracked across Britain between 2014 and 2021. Using remotely sensed land-use data and continuous-time survival methods, we quantified survival rates, contributions of natural causes and illegal killing to mortality, and spatial and temporal associations between mortality and land managed for grouse shooting. Annual survival was low, especially among first-year birds (males: 14 %; females: 30 %), with illegal killing accounting for 27–43 % and 75 % of mortality in first-year and subadult (1-2 years) harriers respectively. Illegal killing is likely attributable to grouse moor management because i) a 10 % increase in grouse moor use resulted in a 43 % increase in mortality risk; ii) a strong overlap existed between mortality and grouse moor extent in 20 km squares, identifying hotspots of illegal killing in northern England and northeast Scotland; iii) death due to natural causes showed different spatial and temporal patterns; and iv) timing of mortality peaked around the shooting season and during breeding territory establishment. Governments have failed to reduce illegal killing of Hen Harriers and other raptors in Britain and our results emphasise that further legislative reform is needed to tackle this enduring criminality. Article in Journal/Newspaper Circus cyaneus SRUC (Scotland's Rural College): Research Portal Biological Conservation 283 110072 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
SRUC (Scotland's Rural College): Research Portal |
op_collection_id |
ftsrucpubl |
language |
English |
topic |
Conservation conflict Continuous time survival analysis Raptors Satellite tracking Uplands /dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/good_health_and_well_being name=SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being /dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/life_on_land name=SDG 15 - Life on Land /dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/peace_justice_and_strong_institutions name=SDG 16 - Peace Justice and Strong Institutions |
spellingShingle |
Conservation conflict Continuous time survival analysis Raptors Satellite tracking Uplands /dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/good_health_and_well_being name=SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being /dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/life_on_land name=SDG 15 - Life on Land /dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/peace_justice_and_strong_institutions name=SDG 16 - Peace Justice and Strong Institutions Ewing, Steven R. Thomas, Cathleen E. Butcher, Nigel Denman, Blánaid Douglas, David J.T. Anderson, David I.K. Anderson, Guy Q.A. Bray, James Downing, Steve Dugan, Ronan Etheridge, Brian Hayward, Will Howie, Fiona Roos, Staffan Thomas, Mark Weston, Jenny Smart, Jennifer Wilson, Jeremy D. Illegal killing associated with gamebird management accounts for up to three-quarters of annual mortality in Hen Harriers Circus cyaneus |
topic_facet |
Conservation conflict Continuous time survival analysis Raptors Satellite tracking Uplands /dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/good_health_and_well_being name=SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being /dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/life_on_land name=SDG 15 - Life on Land /dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/peace_justice_and_strong_institutions name=SDG 16 - Peace Justice and Strong Institutions |
description |
Predators are frequently victims of wildlife crime due to conflicts with human interests. Where predators are protected, killing may occur covertly and novel methods, including satellite tracking, are often required to assess population consequences. Wildlife crime persists in the British uplands, where raptors are illegally killed on moorland managed for Red Grouse Lagopus lagopus scotica shooting. To understand impacts on one such species, the Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus, we analysed data from 148 individuals tracked across Britain between 2014 and 2021. Using remotely sensed land-use data and continuous-time survival methods, we quantified survival rates, contributions of natural causes and illegal killing to mortality, and spatial and temporal associations between mortality and land managed for grouse shooting. Annual survival was low, especially among first-year birds (males: 14 %; females: 30 %), with illegal killing accounting for 27–43 % and 75 % of mortality in first-year and subadult (1-2 years) harriers respectively. Illegal killing is likely attributable to grouse moor management because i) a 10 % increase in grouse moor use resulted in a 43 % increase in mortality risk; ii) a strong overlap existed between mortality and grouse moor extent in 20 km squares, identifying hotspots of illegal killing in northern England and northeast Scotland; iii) death due to natural causes showed different spatial and temporal patterns; and iv) timing of mortality peaked around the shooting season and during breeding territory establishment. Governments have failed to reduce illegal killing of Hen Harriers and other raptors in Britain and our results emphasise that further legislative reform is needed to tackle this enduring criminality. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Ewing, Steven R. Thomas, Cathleen E. Butcher, Nigel Denman, Blánaid Douglas, David J.T. Anderson, David I.K. Anderson, Guy Q.A. Bray, James Downing, Steve Dugan, Ronan Etheridge, Brian Hayward, Will Howie, Fiona Roos, Staffan Thomas, Mark Weston, Jenny Smart, Jennifer Wilson, Jeremy D. |
author_facet |
Ewing, Steven R. Thomas, Cathleen E. Butcher, Nigel Denman, Blánaid Douglas, David J.T. Anderson, David I.K. Anderson, Guy Q.A. Bray, James Downing, Steve Dugan, Ronan Etheridge, Brian Hayward, Will Howie, Fiona Roos, Staffan Thomas, Mark Weston, Jenny Smart, Jennifer Wilson, Jeremy D. |
author_sort |
Ewing, Steven R. |
title |
Illegal killing associated with gamebird management accounts for up to three-quarters of annual mortality in Hen Harriers Circus cyaneus |
title_short |
Illegal killing associated with gamebird management accounts for up to three-quarters of annual mortality in Hen Harriers Circus cyaneus |
title_full |
Illegal killing associated with gamebird management accounts for up to three-quarters of annual mortality in Hen Harriers Circus cyaneus |
title_fullStr |
Illegal killing associated with gamebird management accounts for up to three-quarters of annual mortality in Hen Harriers Circus cyaneus |
title_full_unstemmed |
Illegal killing associated with gamebird management accounts for up to three-quarters of annual mortality in Hen Harriers Circus cyaneus |
title_sort |
illegal killing associated with gamebird management accounts for up to three-quarters of annual mortality in hen harriers circus cyaneus |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://pure.sruc.ac.uk/en/publications/c1804608-2b82-4c83-bdb8-b141d3150c33 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2023.110072 https://pure.sruc.ac.uk/ws/files/72580930/1-s2.0-S0006320723001738-main.pdf http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85161963863&partnerID=8YFLogxK |
genre |
Circus cyaneus |
genre_facet |
Circus cyaneus |
op_source |
Ewing , S R , Thomas , C E , Butcher , N , Denman , B , Douglas , D J T , Anderson , D I K , Anderson , G Q A , Bray , J , Downing , S , Dugan , R , Etheridge , B , Hayward , W , Howie , F , Roos , S , Thomas , M , Weston , J , Smart , J & Wilson , J D 2023 , ' Illegal killing associated with gamebird management accounts for up to three-quarters of annual mortality in Hen Harriers Circus cyaneus ' , Biological Conservation , vol. 283 , 110072 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2023.110072 |
op_relation |
https://pure.sruc.ac.uk/en/publications/c1804608-2b82-4c83-bdb8-b141d3150c33 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2023.110072 |
container_title |
Biological Conservation |
container_volume |
283 |
container_start_page |
110072 |
_version_ |
1802643407648063488 |