Prethodno priopćenje

Distribution and Abundance of Rock Partridge (Alectoris graeca Meisner) in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina

Marijan Grubešić orcid.org/0000-0003-4377-9264 ; Šumarski fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu
Kristijan Tomljanović ; Šumarski fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu
Saša Kunovac ; Univerzitet u Sarajevu, Šumarski fakultet, Sarajevo, Bosna i Hercegovina

Sažetak

Determining the distribution and abundance of an animal species is important from the standpoint of several scientific fields. From the standpoint of hunting, and in view of the fact that partridge is on the game hunting list in the Republic of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, this is also a legal obligation.
Owing to its highly specific habitat requirements, the Rock Partridge inhabits almost inaccessible terrains overgrown with various degraded forms of deciduous and coniferous forests.
During the last fifty years different written sources have been used to determine partridge abundance. In the last two years, data provided by the Central Hunting Register have been considered official for the Republic of Croatia, and data provided by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and Water Management for Bosnia and Herzegovina. The smallest unit used to determine the distribution area is the hunting ground.
According to the available data, the officially determined number or the status of the parent fund in the territory of the Republic of Croatia entails 11 231 animals and a cull of 5 341 animals (table 1). In the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina the determined fund status is about 14 000 animals with a cull of 760 animals. Although these numbers are the only official statistical sources, they should nevertheless be taken with caution, particularly as regards Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to some written data, the rock partridge abundance monitored after the Second World War in the territory of the Republic of Croatia amounted to 7 000 birds. After this, the size of Rock Partridge populations gradually increased to reach 35 000 birds in the mid1980s. This was followed by an abrupt decline to only 10 000 animals, but in the last fifteen years the partridge population has been slowly increasing in numbers. The listed yearly overview can be seen in Table 1.
It should be stressed that during this period, the distribution area has most probably remained almost unchanged, although some accurate documents are missing. On the other hand, the reasons for such drastic changes in the abundance, or even more importantly, in population density, are varied and mutually intertwined. The current picture of the Rock Partridge status is certainly promising; still, all leaseholders who manage the Rock Partridge and all other experts involved in this issue have an obligation to improve the picture. Vegetation succession, the lack of cattle fund, the disappearance of suitable habitats, and growing numbers of hunters are definitely factors that impede an improvement in the Rock Partridge abundance. If the goal is to increase the number in the future, they will be forced to constantly ameliorate habitat opportunities with hunting economic measures and above all, with predator control.

Ključne riječi

cull; distribution; hunting grounds; parent fund; Rock partridge

Hrčak ID:

75467

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/75467

Datum izdavanja:

31.12.2011.

Podaci na drugim jezicima: hrvatski

Posjeta: 4.607 *