Red deer (Cervus elaphus hispanicus) management in the dehesa system in Central Extremadura, Spain

Vargas, J. D.; Calvo, Jorge; Aparicio, M. A.

doi:10.1007/bf00711283

Cited by 12 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…The montado is an extremely well-adapted habitat for wild ungulates, especially red deer (Cervus elaphus hispanicus) and wild boar (Sus scrofa), which are nowadays regarded as expensive renewable natural resources (Vargas et al 1995). In addition, small and medium mammals are abundant in the montado as a consequence of low human disturbance, including the endangered Cabrera vole Microtus cabrerae (Mira et al 2008;Rosalino et al 2009).…”

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confidence: 99%

Introducing the montado, the cork and holm oak agroforestry system of Southern Portugal

2011

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The Portuguese montado is an agro-silvo pastoral system quite similar to the dehesa in Spain, and covering in Portugal most of the Southern region of the country, Alentejo. The trees in the montado are cork oh holm oak, and the system is mostly acknowledged due to the cork production, but also due to its singular savanna like land cover pattern, its multiple and complementary productions, the support of a diversity of ecosystems services and its biodiversity. The present special issue covers the diversity of components of the montado and of perspectives required to understand and assess the functioning of the system. This Editorial introduces the montado system, describes its extension and similarities to the dehesa in Spain, and addresses the multiple productions and externalities of the montado. It also refers to the several components of the system. It focus on the uniqueness and values of this system, stressing its potential and threats, and the requirements for integrated knowledge production. In the end of the Editorial, each one of the papers that compose the special issue are presented.

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Introducing the montado, the cork and holm oak agroforestry system of Southern Portugal

2011

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“…Knowing the potential effects of drought on the development and reproduction of deer in these areas is of considerable importance, both from the point of view of the phenotypic plasticity of the characters involved (Emlen 1994, Gross 1996, Tomkins et al 2005) and from its application to hunting management and conservation (Vargas et al 1995, Carranza 1999, San Miguel et al 1999). The objectives in our study were 1) to quantify the effects of current drought periods on the development of red deer Cervus elaphus stags, which constitute the objective of game management in these areas, and, as a result of this knowledge, 2) to provide practical recommendations in the face of expected changes in local climatic conditions, in order to maintain the sustainability of red deer populations in this region from the point of view of hunting exploitation and ecosystem conservation.…”

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Combined Effects of Drought and Density on Body and Antler Size of Male Iberian Red Deer Cervus Elaphus Hispanicus: Climate Change Implications

2009

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Hunting management of red deer Cervus elaphus populations may tend to increase population densities to maximise annual yield. Some studies have shown that density and low winter temperatures affect red deer populations in central and northern Europe, but these results cannot be extrapolated to red deer populations in the Mediterranean region where the limiting season is summer instead of winter. The two regions are predicted to experience different climate change effects: while rainfall may increase in northern latitudes, heavier droughts are expected in the Mediterranean region. We studied red deer populations of different densities on 19 hunting estates in southern Spain during two years with contrasting precipitation levels. Our aim was to quantify the combined effects of drought and population density on the development of stags, which is the main economic objective of hunting management in these areas. We found that drought affected body and antler size negatively, and that the effects were more severe in populations of high density. On the basis of our results, we recommend reducing the current densities of red deer in southern Spain to maintain the economic and environmental sustainability of hunting exploitation in the context of global climate change.

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“…The site is browsed by herbivore ungulates, red deer ( Cervus elaphus ) and fallow deer ( Dama dama ) which, due to a limited culling policy and supplementary feeding in years of lower food availability, have been maintained in the study area at population densities of 0.35 and 0.1 deer per ha respectively. Although not uncommon in Iberian Peninsula hunting estates, such population densities are generally considered as high [ 27 , 28 ]. Few wild boars ( Sus scrofa , L.) occurred at the beginning of the experiment, although they have locally thrived in recent years.…”

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Too Many Is Too Bad: Long-Term Net Negative Effects of High Density Ungulate Populations on a Dominant Mediterranean Shrub

et al. 2016

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Plant–animal interactions imply costs and benefits with net balance depending on interacting species and ecological context. Ungulates, in particular, confer costs (e.g., plant leaf consumption, flower bud predation) and benefits (e.g., plant overcompensation, seed dispersal) to plants. Magnitude of costs and benefits may be altered by habitat management or ecological conditions favoring high density ungulate populations. Little is known however on whether plant costs or benefits predominate over the years, or the long-term outcomes of plant-animal interactions in habitat types sustaining high density ungulate populations. We investigated how high density ungulate populations alter plant costs and benefits by quantifying ungulate long-term effects on the shrub Cistus ladanifer (Cistaceae) individual size, seed weight and number, seed bank, and population density, through a 12-year ungulate exclusion experiment in a Mediterranean scrubland. We monitored plant size and flower buds in plants exposed or protected from ungulates and number of developed capsules and seeds consumed (potential seed dispersal) by ungulates during three reproductive seasons. We found that ungulates negatively affected shrub size and led to a dramatically decline of shrub reproductive structures and seed production, affecting the plant reproductive cycle. Number of buds was 27 times higher and number of developed seed 5 times higher in ungulate-excluded as compared to ungulate-exposed plots. After 9 years of ungulate exclusion, the C. ladanifer seed bank was 2.6 times higher in ungulate-excluded plots. The population density of C. ladanifer was 4 times higher in ungulate-excluded plots. Our long-term experiment showed that high density ungulate populations can alter plant-animal interactions by reducing plant benefits and increasing plant costs.

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Red deer (Cervus elaphus hispanicus) management in the dehesa system in Central Extremadura, Spain

Cited by 12 publications

References 3 publications

Introducing the montado, the cork and holm oak agroforestry system of Southern Portugal

Introducing the montado, the cork and holm oak agroforestry system of Southern Portugal

Combined Effects of Drought and Density on Body and Antler Size of Male Iberian Red Deer Cervus Elaphus Hispanicus: Climate Change Implications

Too Many Is Too Bad: Long-Term Net Negative Effects of High Density Ungulate Populations on a Dominant Mediterranean Shrub

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