The Upper Juruá Extractive Reserve in the Brazilian Amazon: past and present†

Amazonian livelihoods are largely dependent on rivers, with local protein consumption mainly relying on several species of fish. The UJER (Upper Juruá Extractive Reserve - Reserva Extrativista do Alto Juruá) is located in the state of Acre, bordering Peru and several indigenous areas. Here we summarize the data we collected in 1993/1994 on the population living along the banks of the Juruá, Tejo, Bagé, Igarapé São João and Breu rivers on crop cultivation, animal husbandry, and use of game and fish resources. We interviewed 133 individuals (94 on the Juruá and Tejo, 16 on Bagé, 16 on Igarapé São João and 7 on Breu rivers). Our results include a comprehensive description on local livelihoods, including the most important fish species for local subsistence considering gender and seasonality, the main husbandry and game species, and the items cultivated on the local agriculture. Whenever more recent information was available in the literature, we compared changes in livelihoods over time in the same region and also with the recent patterns observed in the Lower and in the Middle Juruá River. We hope to provide useful information to understand temporal changes in local livelihoods, which can help adapt and shape the ecological management in the region.

Assessing the origin, genetic structure and demographic history of the common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) in the introduced European range

The common pheasant, a game species widely introduced throughout the world, can be considered as an ideal model to study the effects of introduction events on local adaptations, biogeographic patterns, and genetic divergence processes. We aimed to assess the origin, spatial patterns of genetic variation, and demographic history of the introduced populations in the contact zone of Central and Southeast Europe, using mitochondrial DNA control region sequences and microsatellite loci. Both types of molecular markers indicated relatively low to moderate levels of genetic variation. The mtDNA analyses revealed that common pheasants across the study area are divided into two distinct clades: B (mongolicus group) and F (colchicus group). Analyses of the microsatellite data consistently suggested a differentiation between Hungary and Serbia, with the pheasant population in Hungary being much more genetically homogeneous, while that of Serbia has much more genetic mixture and admixture. This cryptic differentiation was not detected using a non-spatial Bayesian clustering model. The analyses also provided strong evidence for a recent population expansion. This fundamental information is essential for adequate and effective conservation management of populations of a game species of great economic and ecological importance in the studied geographical region.

Seasonal and multiannual dynamics of sedentary species populations of hunting interest

The aim of the research was to study the number dynamics of the populations of dominant sedentary species of hunting interest as a theoretical context in arguing sustainable measures for the management of economic interest fauna. The studies between 2000-2021 shows that after a period of depression in the populations of sedentary species of hunting interest in 2004-2012 there is an increase from 2016-2017 till present of reproductive stocks in all studied species on average by 95%. The losses in the cold period of the year varied depending on the climatic conditions of the cold period of the year, as well as the age structure at the end of the reproductive period: for the hare between 14% and 30%, with an average of 23%; in grey partridge from 56% to 71% and in pheasant they fluctuate between 48% and 56% of the autumn number, being lower in warm winters (37%). Analyzing the dynamics of annual increases in sedentary small game species in different climatic conditions, it was found that arid conditions during nesting and offspring growth, decrease annual increases by 143% in pheasants, 122% in hares, and only 74% in partridges, which is a species less dependent on aridizations in the vegetative period.

The consumption of the White-lipped Frog (Leptodactylus macrosternum Leptodactylidae: Anura) in the state of Rondônia in the Brazilian Amazon

The consumption of anurans by subsistence hunters in the Brazilian Amazon is unrecorded. Given this scenario, the objective of this study is to present the first record of White-lipped Frog consumption by subsistence hunters in the Amazon region of Rondônia. The data were collected through interviews with two migrant hunters from the state of Espírito Santo, currently residing in the municipality of Itapuã do Oeste in Rondônia. The hunters used to consume white-lipped frog (possibly Leptodactylus latrans) in their state of origin, and after locating a similar species (Leptodactylus macrosternum) and confirming the possibility of consumption with the mother through WhatsApp, they started consuming the frog. This record demonstrates how certain habits related to the consumption of wild animals can be maintained in new locations and how instant messaging tools can collaborate with information exchange about game species.

Hunter estimates of game density as a simple and efficient source of information for population monitoring: A comparison to targeted survey methods

Hunters in Europe gather non-survey game species population estimates to inform wildlife management, however, the quality of such estimates remains unclear. We compared estimates of game density, realized annual intrinsic growth rates, and period mean growth rates between hunter obtained data and data obtained by targeted survey methods for four species in Poland from 1960 to 2014. Raw hunter estimates were strongly positively correlated to spotlight counts of red fox (18 years of monitoring), strip counts of brown hare (21 years) and grey partridge (25 years), male call counts of partridge (24 years), and complete counts of roe deer (49 years), and not related to spotlight counts of brown hare (15 years). Realized annual intrinsic growth rates derived from hunter estimates were strongly positively related to annual intrinsic growth rates derived from strip counts of grey partridge and complete counts of roe deer, but only weakly or not related to strip counts of brown hare, spotlight counts of red fox and brown hare, and male call counts of grey partridge. The period length at which the period mean growth rates derived from hunter estimates and estimates from other methods were strongly correlated was largely variable among methods and species. In the roe deer, correlation between these variables was strong across all years, while in smaller game species the period mean growth rates based on hunter estimates and other methods had the strongest association in period lengths of 6 to 11 years. We conclude that raw hunter estimates convey largely similar information to that provided by other targeted survey methods. Hunter estimates provide a source of population data for both the retrospective and prospective analysis of game population development when more robust estimates are unavailable.

GIS as an Epidemiological Tool to Monitor the Spatial–Temporal Distribution of Tuberculosis in Large Game in a High-Risk Area in Portugal

Since April 2011, Portugal has implemented specific national legislation (Notice N.º1/2011), defining “Epidemiologic Risk Areas for Bovine Tuberculosis in Large Game” and mitigation measures in these areas, including Idanha-a-Nova county. A GIS project was created to record information that would allow us to analyse the spatial–temporal distribution, both for hunting bags and tuberculosis occurrence, in hunted wild boar and red deer in Idanha-a-Nova. Hunting bag and tuberculosis-like lesion data were recorded during post-mortem inspection across 11 hunting seasons, totalling 9844 animals. The difference in tuberculosis occurrence for these species was statistically significant in nearly all 11 seasons, with wild boars presenting approximately twice the occurrence of red deer. No significant difference was noted before and after the Notice N.º1/2011 implementation. These results, following GIS-based spatial analysis, enable us to state that both large game species displayed an irregular tuberculosis pattern for the 2006–2016 period, and we identified some specific areas of high risk for both species. Southern areas of the county may be considered the priority for intervention. This research demonstrates the potential of GIS tools to evaluate, in the field, the results and efficacy of legislation such as Notice N.º1/2011, and to ensure the correct implementation of cost-effective mitigation strategies for tuberculosis in large game species.

THE ROLE OF THE XAVANTE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE IN WILDLIFE CONSERVATION

There is an urgent demand to evaluate and document the environmental conditions of the territories of indigenous people. This is basic in the efforts to achieve sustainable development goals adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015. The Xavante people are hunters/gatherers and depend on natural resources for their physical, spiritual, and cultural survival. Their lands are localized in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil, in a transitional area between the Cerrado vegetation and the Amazon rainforest. They have been developing environmental projects ~in order to manage their territory correctly for decades, as part of their survival strategy. In recent fieldwork, we stated that some major game species may still be abundant in the territory and we suggest that certain wildlife management measures in the past may be responsible for this. We easily registered most game species handled by the Xavantes, except for some edentates that were rarely detected. We confirm the giant anteater as the most vulnerable species to hunting effects. In this article, we point out the main threats for the territory and present new recommendations that may be fundamental for the conservation of biodiversity in the region and the survival of the Xavante people.

Comparison of spotlighting monitoring data of European brown hare (Lepus europaeus) relative population densities with infrared thermography in agricultural landscapes in Northern Germany

A successful wildlife management requires monitoring. Including non-scientific volunteers into monitoring actions is a common way for obtaining long-term and comprehensive data. Hunters present a valuable target group as they are spread out nationwide in Germany and additionally, they provide a know-how regarding game species. Since 1990s, various German hunting associations established monitoring programs and motivated hunters to join, in order to record population sizes of huntable game species under standardized census methods. The aim of this study was to compare instructed hunters performed spotlight counts of European brown hares with thermography in three federal states (Lower-Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, North Rhine-Westphalia) in 2015–2018 in Northern Germany. Therefore, we modelled the number of hares counted by both methods with the associated observed area. Moreover, we performed repeated thermographic counts in selected areas and performed distance sampling to test the deviations of estimated population densities within a short time period. Repeated infrared thermographic counts on three consecutive nights show a coefficient of variation from 6.6% to 15.5% with deviations of 2.2–2.7 hares per 100 ha, while the method of distance sampling reveals minor deviations of 0.9–1.7 hares per 100 ha and a coefficient of variation from 3.1–7.4%. The coefficient of variation value between spotlight and infrared thermographic count lies between 0 to 21.4%. Our model confirmed no significant differences between the European brown hare density estimations based on a spotlight count and an infrared thermographic count on the following night. The results provide insight into the dimension of the error margin of density estimations performed by spotlight counts. Therefore, we recommend to take possible counting errors into account and to ideally perform repeated counts to assess the error margin for each counting site. This would help for example to quantify the uncertainty in the calculation of mortality rates. Additionally, our results show that monitoring data generated by instructed hunters can provide reliable and valid data, if implemented and conducted in a standardized scientific way.