1. Wildtier-Informationssystem der Länder Deutschlands The German Wildlife Information System Monitoring incidences, distributions, abundances, and hunting bag statistics of game mammals Oliver Keuling, Grit Greiser, Ina Martin, Martina Bartel-Steinbach, Roland Klein, Egbert Strauß, Ludger Wenzelides, Armin Winter

2. Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Keuling et al. Why WILD - monitoring? reporting commitment due to several EU- conventions and German laws sustainable hunting needs reliable population data up to 2000 no uniform surveys in Germany perspective: EU-wide monitoring (e.g. FACE) hunting bag statistics unsound indices Background

3. Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Keuling et al. wildlife survey comprehensive monitoring: -questionnaire -counts in reference areas -verification projects hunting bag statistics estimation, exemplary counts counts in RA Monitoring in the 1990s WTE WTK

4. Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Keuling et al. Aims of WILD nationwide census and estimates of game animal biodiversity with standardised methods benefit from hunters knowledge identification of influencing factors by correlation of population data with predator species, habitat, climate, disease, hunting… analysis and demonstration of population abundances and trends as a basis for hunting and nature conservation politics recommendations for hunting and landscape conservation

5. Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Keuling et al. Reliability science and neutrality as fundament for reliability and acceptance by other NGOs: scientific methods verification of monitoring data advancement of census methods distinct organisational structure

6. Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Keuling et al. federal states WILD-supervisors WILD-offices Organisational structure Forschungsstelle für Wildökologie und Jagdwirtschaft, LFE Eberswalde Institut für Wildtierforschung TiHo Hannover Biogeographie Uni Trier voluntary field assistants = local hunters DJV

7. Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Keuling et al. Three methodical pylons information on game populations by reference areas comprehensive hunting bag questionnaires statistics brown hare red fox badger carrion crow partridge game species methods frequency spotlight counts (hare) mapping: litter, nest, den annual spring (+autumn) biennial grey partridge any small game species (alternating) any game species assessment hunters knowledge official hunting bags annual

8. Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Keuling et al. Results game birds: grey partridge Perdix perdix carrion crow Corvus corone hooded crow C. cornix geese surveys … mammals:

9. Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Keuling et al. Methods spotlight counts - short-time biases by different factors require repeated counts + simple method to get reliable indices of abundance of brown hares

10. Keuling et al. Brown hare Lepus europaeus spring densities 2007 655 RA 0-117 hares /km² 2007 Strauß et al. 2007, EJWR 54: 142-147

11. Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Keuling et al. Brown hare – population trend (spring) hares/km² 50 40 30 20 10 0 N= 457 519 557 590 554 547 509 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

12. Keuling et al. Brown hare Lepus europaeus 2007 hares/km² 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 N= 143 90 34 85 25 115 NWL SWLMR ELMR WLMR AF NEL spring 2009

13. Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Keuling et al. Brown hare – net reproduction rate % 100 50 0 -50 -100 N= 418 478 474 509 504 487 443 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 23.2 0.0

14. Keuling et al. Red fox Vulpes vulpes 2007 Keuling et al. in press, EJWR nationwide distribution litter densities 0-3.3/km²  0.4 /km² litter size  4.4 (- 12) puppies lower abundances in NWL

15. Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Keuling et al. Red fox - population trend litters/km² 1.2 1.0 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0 N= 296 196 304 274 239 221 164 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

16. Keuling et al. Badger Meles meles litter densities 0-1.6/km²  0.16 litter size  2.9 (- 8) puppies lower abundances in NWL 75-100% 50-75% 25-50% 0-25 % occurence no information 2006 Keuling et al. in press, EJWR

17. Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Keuling et al. Badger - population trend litters/km² 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0 N= 296 196 304 274 239 221 164 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

18. Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Keuling et al. Habitat utilisation agriculture forest other

19. Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Keuling et al. Habitat utilisation agric. forest other -0.75Jacobs´Index 0.74 0.74

20. Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Keuling et al. Habitat utilisation

21. Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Keuling et al. year-round closed season since 1934 today focus on wild cat  wildlife corridors Wild cat Felis silvestris

22. Keuling et al. distribution expansion 2006 Wild cat Felis silvestris hitherto known distribution occurrence no occurrence no information Elm hills Dick van Klees

23. Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Keuling et al. Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus

24. Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Keuling et al. Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus

25. Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Keuling et al. Pine marten Martes martes nationwide survey 2006: area-wide occurence with low informative value 2006 occurence 2002-2007 hunting bag shot animals/km²

26. Keuling et al. occurrence no occurrence no information 2006 occurence Racoon dog Nyctereutes procyonides

27. Keuling et al. occurrence decreased occurrence increased / new stable no occurrence no information Racoon dog Nyctereutes procyonides 2009 occurence compared to 2006

28. Keuling et al. 2002-2008 hunting bag highest hunting bags in NE 2008/09: 30,000 BRD Racoon dog Nyctereutes procyonides shot animals/km²

29. Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Keuling et al. Racoon Procyon lotor 2009 occurence compared to 2006 occurrence decreased occurrence increased / new stable no occurrence no information 2002-2008 hunting bag shot animals/km²

30. Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Keuling et al. Wild boar Sus scrofa 2002-07 hunting bag 2008/09: 647,000 shot animals/km² Die Zeit, Nr. 52, 2009

31. Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Keuling et al. Conclusions

32. Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Institute for Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Keuling et al. Conclusions First successes highlight necessity of monitoring for wildlife management WILD delivered some of the data for “Atlases for the Mammals” (Thuringia, Saxony) However, a lot of motivation has to be done

33. We would like to thank all involved hunters, the federal hunting associations, and the DJV We would like to thank all involved hunters, the federal hunting associations, and the DJV ? Thank you! order reports at http://www.jagdnetz.de/wildorpressestelle@jagdschutzverband.de