Does targeted management work for red-legged partridges Alectoris rufa? Twelve years of the ‘Finca de Matallana’ demonstration project

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• 作者：Carlos Sánchez-García ; José A. Pérez ; Carlos Díez…
• 关键词：Alectoris rufa ; Habitat ; Management ; Oryctolagus cuniculus ; Predators ; Shooting
• 刊名：European Journal of Wildlife Research
• 出版年：2017
• 出版时间：February 2017
• 年：2017
• 卷：63
• 期：1
• 全文大小：
• 刊物类别：Biomedical and Life Sciences
• 刊物主题：Zoology; Ecology; Fish & Wildlife Biology & Management;
• 出版者：Springer Berlin Heidelberg
• ISSN：1439-0574
• 卷排序：63

文摘

After the implementation of a management package for red-legged partridges (Alectoris rufa) (including habitat improvement, legal predator removal, supplementary feeding and watering and shooting restrain) in an agricultural Mediterranean area of Spain (308 ha), spring pair densities increased from 2.92 to 12.66/km2 in 9 years, together with summer densities (from 24 to 98 birds/km2) and autumn densities (from 16.5 to 86 birds/km2). We recorded an overall decrease in the over-winter survival of partridges and an increase in their over-summer survival as time progressed. Productivity doubled in 5 years and densities of wild rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) significantly increased. Hence, this study shows that a feasible and affordable combination of management tools worked to improve partridge populations, and also helped the recovery of wild rabbits. The study site supported the presence of 42 ‘red-listed’ species (including 21 species of raptors).