Wildlife Biology in Practice, Vol 1, No 1 (2005)

Wildl. Biol. Pract., 2005; 1(1); 53-59;

Open Access Policy
Online ISSN: 1646-2742
doi: 10.2461/wbp.2005.1.8
Copyright © 2005 Stoate, Szczur.
Published by: Portuguese Wildlife Society

Creative Commons License This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.


The electronic version of this article can be found at:
http://www.socpvs.org/journals/index.php/wbp/article/view/10.2461-wbp.2005.1.8

Predator Control as Part of a Land Management System: Impacts on Breeding Success and Abundance of Passerines

  • C. Stoate *
    The Allerton Research and Educational Trust, Loddington, Leics. LE7 9XE, UK
  • J. Szczur *

Abstract


Control of nest predators such as the Corvidae is regarded as an important component of the management system for wild gamebirds. Although there is strong evidence of an impact of corvid control on nesting success of passerines, the relative roles of nest predation, winter food and other potential influences on breeding abundance of passerines are poorly understood. This study investigates the implications for passerines of cessation of predator control within a game management system in lowland England. The paper discusses results for the two years following cessation of predator control, relative to those from earlier years. These preliminary results suggest that there are complex interactions between human behavioural influences, the abundance of species regarded as 'pests' and the abundance of those targeted for conservation.


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Keywords

Game management; passerine conservation; predator control, winter feeding, social capital.

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