'Reserve effect': An opportunity to mitigate human-wild boar conflicts

Area of Science:

• Wildlife Ecology
• Population Management
• Conservation Biology

Background:

• Wild boar populations are expanding, leading to significant economic and environmental damage.
• Traditional hunting methods are employed for wild boar population control.
• Protected areas may inadvertently concentrate wild boar due to hunting in surrounding regions, creating a 'reserve effect'.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the 'reserve effect' in wild boar populations within protected natural reserves.
• To assess the impact of occasional driven hunts within reserves on wild boar numbers and social organization.
• To evaluate the efficacy of targeting refuge areas for wild boar population control.

Main Methods:

• Camera traps were deployed in two natural reserves (400 and 250 ha) in Montseny Natural Park, Spain, from 2012 to 2015.
• Data collection occurred across hunting and non-hunting seasons without the use of bait.
• 37,574 wild boar images were obtained over 1,759 camera trap days.

Main Results:

• A 'reserve effect' was confirmed, with increased wild boar numbers in reserves following hunting in adjacent areas.
• Occasional driven hunts within reserves significantly reduced wild boar numbers, with effects lasting at least 45 days.
• Hunting activities were found to disrupt wild boar social organization, leading to a significant reduction in group size.

Conclusions:

• Targeting wild boar refuge areas, where populations concentrate due to external hunting, is an effective population control strategy.
• These findings can inform optimized population management strategies, including disease control and eradication efforts.
• Understanding the 'reserve effect' is crucial for managing expanding wild boar populations and mitigating their impacts.