17. Habitat development for small game and waterfowl.

Question 1

What is small game and waterfowl?

Answer 1

Mammals and birds
* shot with shotguns (slings, bow and arrow etc.)
* captured with varying methods (live or dead)
* <3-5 kg
* most of them easily available (common)
* depends on country/location/culture/economics
Diversity is of the uttermost importance.

Question 2

Population declines

Answer 2

Intensification of agriculture (large monotonous landscapes, mechanization, increased chemicals, mowing)
Most small game species declining since the 60’s

Question 3

Habitat Development

Answer 3

Intervention-system: long-term, large area, standard concept planned in the interest of endangered species
Contains:
* Changing agricultural/forestry technologies
* Creating new habitats
* Repair of degraded habitats
* Increasing diversity

*Agricultural Habitats
Problems:
- Large fields
- Monocultures
- Intensive farming (mechanized, chemicals)
Improvements:
- extensive agriculture
- alternative mowing
- hedge rows, hiding strips
- smaller fields

*Wetlands:
Major Causes of Wetland Loss & Degradation
A) Biological Alterations (removing plant species and/or introducing invasive species)
B) Chemical Alterations (pollutants & toxic chemicals, change in nutrient levels)
C) Physical Destruction or Degradation (filling, draining, recreational use etc.)

Improvements:
-Restoration – return of a wetland from a disturbed or altered condition to some improved condition; usually accomplished by restoring hydrology (e.g., removing dikes, levees or drainage tile)
-Creation – development of wetland from a non-wetland (upland or shallow water) habitat; usually done by excavating to wetland elevations, altering hydrology and planting wetland species
-Enhancement – improvement of an existing wetland by enhancing one or more wetland functions (e.g., improved water quality, flood water retention, wildlife habitat)
-Preservation – purchase or donation of ecologically important wetlands followed by permanent protection

Question 4

Food supplies

Answer 4

• The abundance and quality of food supplies can clearly limit game number. For example, the experimental improvement of foraging habitat for lowland gamebirds chicks not only increased insect abundance and chick survival, but also raise subsequent grey partridge breeding densities. These experiments will provide the basis for a management technique that could significantly increase grey partridge populations and potentially benefit a wide range of other farmland wildlife.
• Most resource manipulations experiments have involved the food supply of either adults or young and have led to an increase in the productivity of the population and subsequent increase in population density. The long-term consequences of these changes in food supply have yet to be fully investigated but there is no doubt the techniques are available, in principle the increase population in a particular place and particular time.

Question 5

Lead shot

Answer 5

• Lead in blood has a negative impact on blood pressure, kidneys function, thinking and foetus mortality
• The phase out of lead shot is in progress
• “All kinds of unnecessary use of lead should be banned”
• Lead shot must not be used for hunting: in wetlands and their protective strip. If there is not designation of the authorities of the protective strip: lead shots must not be falling back to the affected area with ban.

Question 6

Nesting habitat

Answer 6

• For those bird species with very specific nest site requirements, like hole or cliff nesting seabirds, that there is evidence that the quality of sites can affect both breeding densities and nesting success. Studies of partridges, capercaillies and black grouse nesting requirements have shown that these ground nesting species are also quite specific nest site selectors and that this selection may have, at least for some species, consequences for their survival.
• For grey partridge, it was shown that recruitment of young birds was the greatest and breeding densities were the highest in those that chose to nest in areas where the amounts of residual dead grass at the base of the hedgerow were the greatest.
• The evidence that aspects of the habitat other than food supply are important, come less from experimental manipulation and more from correlative studies. Nonetheless, there are good reasons for believing that the game bird populations are affected by variation in the quality of nesting habitat, and possibly by other even more subtle characteristics.
  o Wetlands: easily affected by fertilizers from agriculture
  o Grass: affected by grazing by big game, different types of vegetables?