Ungulate Management in Europe: Problems and Practices

This book considers a number of problems posed by ungulates and their management in Europe. Through a synthesis of the underlying biology and a comparison of the management techniques adopted in different countries, the book explores which management approaches seem effective - and in which circumstances. Experts in a number of different areas of applied wildlife biology review various management problems and alternative solutions, including the impact of large ungulates on agriculture, forestry and conservation habitats, the impact of disease and predation on ungulate populations and the involvement of ungulates in road traffic accidents and possible measures for mitigation. This book is directed at practising wildlife managers, those involved in research to improve methods of wildlife management, and policy-makers in local, regional and national administrations.

Table of Contents:
Scientific names of species referred to in this text; 1. Introduction Rory Putman, Reidar Andersen and Marco Apollonio; 2. Status and distribution patterns of European ungulates: genetics, population history and conservation John D. C. Linnell and Frank E. Zachos; 3. A review of the various legal and administrative systems governing management of large herbivores in Europe Rory Putman; 4. Hunting seasons in relation to biological breeding seasons and the implications for the control or regulation of ungulate populations Marco Apollonio, Stefano Grignolio, Rory Putman and Ludek Bartos; 5. The census and management of populations of ungulates in Europe Nicolas Morellet, François Klein, Erling Solberg and Reidar Andersen; 6. Impacts of wild ungulates on vegetation: costs and benefits Friedrich Reimoser and Rory Putman; 7. Wild ungulate diseases and the risk for livestock and public health Ezio Ferroglio, Christian Gortazar and Joaquin Vicente; 8. Traffic collisions involving deer and other ungulates in Europe and available measures for mitigation Jochen Langbein, Rory Putman and Bostjan Pokorny; 9. Large herbivores as 'environmental engineers' Chris Smit and Rory Putman; 10. Ungulate-large' carnivore relationships in Europe Włodzimierz Jędrzejewski, Marco Apollonio, Bogumila Jędrzejewska and Ilpo Kojola; 11. The role of pathogens in the population dynamics of European ungulates Marion L. East, Bruno Bassano and Bjørnar Ytrehus; 12. Climate change and implications for the future distribution and management of ungulates in Europe Atle Mysterud and Bernt-Erik Sæther; 13. Ungulate management in Europe: towards a sustainable future Robert Kenward and Rory Putman.

About the Author :
Rory Putman worked for many years within the Biology Department of the University of Southampton, where he established and led the University's highly-regarded Deer Management Research group; latterly he moved to become Research Professor of Behavioural and Environmental Biology at the Manchester Metropolitan University. He now works as a freelance environmental consultant and wildlife adviser based in Scotland. He has worked widely in the UK and overseas, with research efforts focused on the population ecology of ungulates and their interaction with their vegetational environment - always with the explicit focus of helping to develop more sensitive and more effective methods of managing those same ungulate populations and their impacts on agriculture, forestry or conservation interests. Marco Apollonio is Full Professor at the University of Sassari, where he is presently Director of the Department of Zoology and of the Ph.D. school in Natural Science. His main interests are in ungulate behaviour, ecology and genetics, with a specific focus on mating and social behaviour and on predator-prey relationships involving wolves and ungulates. He is Past-President of the Italian Mammalogical Society and was involved in conservation activities as CITES Scientific Commission Member for Italy and as a member of the board of directors of two national parks in the last 15 years. Reidar Andersen worked for many years in the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research. In 2005 he became Professor in Conservation Biology at the Museum of Natural History and Archaeology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. He has been leading several cross-disciplinary research projects focusing on ungulates and large carnivores, always aiming to produce applied knowledge, securing sustainable management of the species involved. Since 2009 he has become part of the Directorate team at the Norwegian Directorate for Nature Conservation.

Review :
'This book is particularly interesting for those involved in research to improve methods of wildlife management.' Mammalia