Effectiveness of lasers to reduce goose grazing on agricultural grassland

Clausen, Kevin Kuhlmann; Marcussen, Luna Kondrup; Knudsen, Niels; Balsby, Thorsten J. S.; Madsen, Jesper

doi:10.2981/wlb.00560

Cited by 15 publications

(15 citation statements)

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“…Vegetation height and number of goose droppings on individual fields were inversely correlated in both the nesting phase (Spearman's ρ = −0.78, p < .001) and chick‐rearing phase (Spearman's ρ = −0.81, p < .001) (Figure ). On 22 May 2018, the vegetation canopy was on average 3.3 cm higher in the three experimental areas with displacement of geese by laser than in fields grazed by geese (for further details, see Clausen et al, accepted). Hence, vegetation height reflected goose grazing pressure in the fields.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…The experimental use of laser to displace geese had a positive effect on the vegetation height (Clausen et al, accepted), but irrespectively of this potential improvement of sward height, which might have had a positive effect of the numbers of redshank and black‐tailed godwit, short vegetation height turned out to be important for all four nesting species of waders investigated.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Displacement of geese was performed with an Agrilaser Handheld 500 © , with power <500 mW, wavelength 532 nm (green), and a diameter at aperture of 40–50 mm, which can be used without causing disturbance to breeding waders (Clausen et al, accepted). The displacements took place daily from 26 March to 22 May 2018, where experimental fields were checked throughout the day (with some interruption during transportation and short breaks) from sunrise to sunset by two laser operators.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In order to achieve a variation in sward height, we experimentally kept geese out of certain parcels of fields by use of laser light. The effectiveness of scaring geese by use of laser is described in Clausen et al (accepted).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Does intensive goose grazing affect breeding waders?

Madsen

Marcussen

Knudsen³

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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Increasing goose population sizes gives rise to conflicts with human socioeconomic interests and in some circumstances conservation interests. Grazing by high abundances of geese in grasslands is postulated to lead to a very short and homogeneous sward height negatively affecting cover for breeding meadow birds and impacting survival of nests and chicks. We studied the effects of spring grazing barnacle geese Branta leucopsis and brent geese Branta bernicla on occupancy of extensively farmed freshwater grasslands by nesting and brood‐rearing waders on the island Mandø in the Danish Wadden Sea. We hypothesized that goose grazing would lead to a shorter grass sward, negatively affecting the field occupancy by territorial/nesting and chick‐rearing waders, particularly species preferring taller vegetation. Goose grazing led to a short grass sward (<5 cm height) over most of the island. To achieve a variation in sward height, we kept geese off certain fields using laser light. We analyzed effects of field size, sward height, mosaic structure of the vegetation, proximity to shrub as cover for potential predators, and elevation above ground water level as a measure of wetness on field occupancy by nesting and chick‐rearing waders. The analysis indicated that the most important factor explaining field occupancy by nesting redshank Tringa totanus, black‐tailed godwit Limosa limosa, oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus and lapwing Vanellus vanellus as well as by chick‐rearing black‐tailed godwit and lapwing was short vegetation height. Distance to shrub cover and elevation were less important. Hence, despite very intensive goose grazing, we could not detect any negative effect on the field occupancy by nesting nor chick‐rearing waders, including redshank and black‐tailed godwit, which are known to favor longer vegetation to conceal their nests and hide their chicks. Possible negative effects may be buffered by mosaic structures in fields and proximity to taller vegetation along fences and ditches.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Does intensive goose grazing affect breeding waders?

Madsen

Marcussen

Knudsen³

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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“…Nevertheless, this may be hard to achieve in a nature reserve because of con icts of interests with local stakeholders such as local inhabitants and tourists. Scaring of geese with laser has also been studied, but so far with limited results (Clausen et al 2019).…”

Section: Possible Management Measuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disentangling causes of the dieback of littoral stands in an overloaded water-bird reserve: roles of eutrophication, fish and geese

Svidenský

Kučerová

Čı́žková

2021

Preprint

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European fishponds used for semi-intensive fish production can serve for refuges of water birds if the fish stocks are limited but the effects of other ecological factors on the ecosystem stability are seldom considered. The aim of this study is to elucidate causes of a marked decline of littoral stands dominated with Typha angustifolia in a hypertrophic fishpond forming a part of a valuable water-bird reserve. Field investigation and two experiments were conducted in order to separate the effects of mineral nutrient availability, redox condition, fish and geese. The physico-chemical characteristics of water and sediments confirmed hypertrophic conditions in the fishpond but a follow-up mesocosm experiment did not prove a negative effect of the sediment quality on the plant growth. On the other hand, a field enclosure experiment showed a significant negative effect on shoot density, which was attributed to grazing by geese. An additional damage to plant belowground parts was ascribed to large carp individuals, albeit in small numbers. The study points to a conservation dilemma caused by large numbers of geese destroying littoral stands in a fishpond nature reserve, which then looses its nesting function for other water-bird species.

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Individual responses of GPS‐tagged geese scared off crops by drones or walking humans

Månsson,

Teräväinen,

Andrén

et al. 2024

Ecol Sol and Evidence

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Scaring of wildlife is commonly used in attempts to reduce crop damage in agricultural landscapes, but relatively few studies exist on its actual effect. We tracked GPS‐tagged greylag geese (Anser anser) in south‐central Sweden, before and after scaring by approaching them either by walking or by drone. On the field level, we studied the scaring effect by estimating return rate to the field where scared. On the landscape level, we tested if geese were less prone to use agricultural fields after being scared. Geese immediately left the field when scared and 5 min later they were on average 990 m (±56 SE) from the scaring position. The proportion of GPS positions near the scaring position decreased significantly for at least 4 h after scaring. Geese showed a significant shift from agricultural fields to wetland habitats the first 4 h after scaring. However, the effect of scaring soon levelled off; after 24 h the field where scaring had occurred was used to the same extent as any other field in the landscape, and agricultural fields were used to the same extent by scared and undisturbed geese. We did not find any differences in response depending on scaring technique. The probability to return and use agricultural fields after scaring was higher for geese scared in the morning compared to in the afternoon. Moreover, the probability to return and use of agricultural fields were higher in spring than in other seasons. Practical implication. We found that scared geese tend to visit agricultural fields soon after scaring and that scaring alone tends ‘to move the problem around’. This suggests that scaring needs to be repeated across the landscape, but also that accommodation fields where geese do not cause damage may be needed to keep geese off conventional fields. However, our study presents a glimpse of promise as the rather simple drone used covers large areas quickly and minimizes walking in growing crops. With technological advancement and possible autonomous techniques, drones may be capable of providing repeated scaring over large areas in the future.

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Effectiveness of lasers to reduce goose grazing on agricultural grassland

Abstract: BioOne Complete (complete.BioOne.org) is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access titles in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses.

Cited by 15 publications

References 32 publications

Does intensive goose grazing affect breeding waders?

Does intensive goose grazing affect breeding waders?

Disentangling causes of the dieback of littoral stands in an overloaded water-bird reserve: roles of eutrophication, fish and geese

Individual responses of GPS‐tagged geese scared off crops by drones or walking humans

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