Maria Hörnell-Willebrand
Dept. Animal Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (S)
Title
Spatial and temporal dynamics of willow grouse (Lagopus lagopus) and strategies for harvest managing
Abstract
Willow grouse (Lagopus lagopus) is widespread and inhabits arctic tundra, openings in boreal forests, forest edge
habitats and sub-alpine vegetation. In Sweden, the landowner has the hunting rights on his or her land, regardless
of whether it is large or small. The Swedish state is a large land owner and in 1993, more than 60 000 km2 of the state
owned Swedish mountain range was opened to the public for small game hunting. Before this, it was only possible for
limited numbers of people to hunt on public land in the mountains, and hunting willow grouse was considered an
exclusive form of sport.
An increased concern regarding the potential of the compensatory capacity of small game to
recreational harvest has created a need for better tools in harvest management. Particularly for species such as
willow grouse which show highly dynamic population fluctuations and where the mechanisms behind population change are
not well understood. One possible reason for the disparities among the effects of grouse harvest is that dispersal and
compensatory mortality might interact to induce regional synchrony between areas. If these processes occur in the same
time, but dominate on different spatial scales, it will be difficult to measure the effects of dispersal and
compensatory mortality separately.
This talk begins with describing the large scale population dynamics of willow grouse. Fluctuations/cycles in juveniles
and adults are described, time-lags in density dependent processes are investigated and both natal dispersal and adult
movements are described. Two different strategies of managing harvest of willow grouse are presented; the use of buffer
zones and a strategy that includes harvest effort as an estimate of harvest rate.
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