The main aim of our group is to assess the invasiveness of wildlife species based on population trends. The data for the analyses is provided by the National Game Management Database, which operates within the legal framework. Based on the game management and hunting data received from all hunting units covering the whole country every year, we prepare national distribution maps of alien species (e.g., raccoon, raccoon dog, fallow deer, mouflon, Egyptian goose, Canada goose) and of native species with a strong expansion (e.g., wild boar, red deer, golden jackal) included in the database in a uniform format, and assess changes in distribution area and population size over the last 25-30 years. These will be used to investigate by which species and in which areas are likely to experience increasing conflicts or opportunities coming from the appearance of the species in the near future. Our aim is to identify the environmental and habitat characteristics (e.g., afforestation), and the typical population and habitat management elements (e.g., harvest rate, supplementary feeding) that significantly determine the large-scale expansion of those species. These can be used to make predictions about further spread and to suggest practices for conflict management.
Partners
- Ministry of Agriculture - game management planning
