Univerza na Primorskem Fakulteta za matematiko, naravoslovje in informacijske tehnologije
Več informacij o projektu / More info about the project
Vsebina projekta / Project content
Intenzivna urbanizacija, tj. prostorsko širjenje naselij, industrijskih območij, prometnic in drugih infrastrukturnih objektov, povzroča večanje obsega urbane in pol-urbane krajine in s tem zmanjševanje ter drobljenje tradicionalnih habitatov prostoživečih živali. Zaradi sočasnega zaraščanja kmetijske krajine se povečuje kontaktna cona med urbanimi območji in naravnimi habitati prostoživečih živali. Posledično številne živalske vrste (tudi divjadi) vedno pogosteje živijo v naseljih in drugih antropogeno spremenjenih habitatih, zato so vedno pogostejše interakcije prostoživečih živali z ljudmi, kar pogosto povzroča nastanek različnih konfliktnih situacij. V urbanem okolju in na drugih nelovnih površinah je upravljanje
s populacijami divjadi (tj. izvajanje lova) močno oteženo oz. celo onemogočeno bodisi zaradi zakonskih omejitev bodisi zaradi pričakovanih negativnih odzivov javnosti oz. trenutno premajhne družbene sprejemljivosti nekaterih upravljavskih ukrepov. Proučevanje vrst divjadi, konfliktov z njimi, možnosti zmanjševanja le-teh in upravljanja s populacijami v naseljih ter drugih nelovnih površinah je še posebej pomembno, saj v primeru nastanka škod na nelovnih površinah odgovarja država kot lastnica divjadi, ki pa nima izdelanih uradnih protokolov oz. navodil za ukrepanje v primeru pojava divjadi v naseljih, na cestah in drugih nelovnih površinah, kjer lahko divjad v specifičnih situacijah predstavlja nevarnost za
ljudi in premoženje.
Vrste divjadi, ki so glede na pojavljanje v naseljih in drugih nelovnih površinah ter na pričakovane konflikte predmet predlagane raziskave, so: (i) prostoživeči parkljarji: divji prašič (Sus scrofa) in evropska srna/srnjad (Capreolus capreolus), v omejenem obsegu tudi navadni jelen/jelenjad (Cervus elaphus) in damjak (Dama dama); (ii) male zveri: lisica (Vulpes vulpes), jazbec (Meles meles) in kuna belica (Martes foina); (iii) domorodni glodavci in lagomorfi: navadni polh (Glis glis) in poljski zajec (Lepus europeus); (iv) invazivna tujerodna vrsta: nutrija (Myocastor coypus). Konkretni izzivi oz. rešitve, ki jih želimo dobiti z izvedbo predlaganega projekta, so: (a) povečanje cestno-prometne varnosti (zmanjšanje tveganja z a t r k e s p a r k l j a r j i n a n e – o g r a j e n i h c e s t a h , z m a n j š a n j e z a h a j a n j a n a a v t o c e s t e, vzpostavitev protokola ravnanja v primeru pojavljanja divjadi znotraj avtocestnega koridorja); (b) zmanjšanje drugih škodnih dogodkov na nelovnih površinah; (c) spoznavanje bioloških in ekoloških značilnosti (npr. prostorsko vedenje, razmnoževalni potencial, prehrana) izbranih vrst divjadi v urbanem okolju v primerjavi z naravnimi habitati; (d)
vzpostavitev primernega družbenega okolja in preizkus ukrepov za izločitev nutrije kot invazivne tujerodne vrste iz okolja. Za vse ciljne vrste želimo tudi pripraviti protokole za ravnanje v primeru njihovega pojavljanja, ki bi imelo za posledico nastanek večjih konfliktnih dogodkov oz. škod, v urbanem okolju in na drugih nelovnih površinah (npr. vzpostavitev t. i. intervencijskih skupin, možnost odlova posameznih osebkov z najbolj primernimi sredstvi), v primeru odvzetih osebkov pa tudi izvesti molekularno-genetske analize, ki bodo omogočile določitev meta-populacijske strukture urbanih populacij in njihovih kontaktnih con s populacijami iz naravnega okolja.
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Intensive process of urbanization, such as spatial spreading of settlements, expansion of industrial areas, roads and other infrastructure, has resulted in the increase of the urban and semi-urban landscapes and has caused the reduction and fragmentation of traditional habitats of wildlife. Due to natural succession such as spontaneous reforestation of former agricultural areas, the contact zone between urban areas and natural habitats (i.e. wildland-urbane interface) has been expanding. Consequently, many animal species (including game species) yet inhabit human settlements and other anthropogenic disturbed habitats. Therefore, the interactions between wildlife and humans have been becoming more frequent which results in many conflict situations. Game management (i.e. hunting) in urban environment and in other non-hunting areas is very difficult or in some instances even impossible, either due to several legal restrictions or due to expected negative responses of the public. Therefore, it is crucial to study game species in the urban environment, but also to understand possibilities of wildlife management in settlements and in other non-hunting areas, which conflicts can be caused by urban wildlife, and how to find the best solutions to limit those conflicts. Indeed, game species are owned by the state therefore it is the state’s responsibility to act in case of conflicts and to compensate for damages in non-hunting areas. Nevertheless, any legal protocols or instructions how to act in the case of the appearance of game species in settlements, on the roads and in other non-hunting areas, where wildlife might in specific situations represent risk for people and their property, are completely missing at the moment.
In the proposed project, those game species that most frequently appear in settlements and in other non-hunting areas and which may cause conflicts with inhabitants will be emphasised. These species are as follows: (i) wild ungulates: wild boar (Sus scrofa) and European roe deer (Capreouls capreolus), but also red deer (Cervus elaphus) and fallow deer (Dama dama); (ii) small carnivores: red fox (Vulpes vulpes), badger (Meles meles), and stone marten (Martes foina); (iii) native species of rodents and lagomorphs: edible dormouse (Glis glis) and brown hare (Lepus europeus); (iv) invasive alien species: coypu (Myocastor coypus). The challenges and solutions, which will be met and suggested in the project, are as follows: (a) Improvement of the road-safety (reducing the risk for traffic collisions with ungulates on non-fenced roads, limiting the access of ungulates to highways, preparation of the protocol for acting in the case of the appearance of ungulates inside the highway corridors). (b) Reducing of other damages in non-hunting areas. (c) Obtaining knowledge on biological and ecological characteristics (e.g. spatial behaviour, reproductive potential, diet) of selected game species in urban areas in comparison with non-urban habitats. (d) Providing suitable social environment for and testing management possibilities to remove coypu as invasive alien species from the environment. For all target species, we will prepare protocols for management in the case of their expansion or more frequent occurrence in settleme
nts and in other non-hunting areas, which may cause larger conflicts or damages (e.g. establishing intervention groups, possibilities to use the most suitable techniques for catching and translocation animals from the urban environment). For the hunted/eliminated individuals, we will also make molecular-genetic analysis, which will enable determination of the meta-population structure of urban populations and their contact zones with populations from the natural (non-urban) environments.