Progetto Interreg IIIA Italia Slovenia “Gestione sostenibile transfrontaliera delle Risorse faunistiche”

The role of protected areas for the conservation of the brown bear and lynx in respect to the hunting activity dott Stefano Filacorda

Università degli Studi di Udine Parco Naturale delle Prealpi Giulie

Preface In Friuli Venezia Giulia region exist areas with different level of protection in respect to hunting. In Friuli are present two types of hunting on deer: selective hunting, from may to january hunting with dog, from september to december

• Aims of the analysis • Study the role of areas with and with out hunting and with different type of hunting on the presence of brown bear and lynx

Study Areas Regional parks and Regional reserves: hunting prohibited Regional or national properties: hunting prohibited

Site of community interest (SCIp), Special protection areas (SPA), Biotopes: hunting permitted

SCIp and Spa areas and regional park and reserves in Friuli Venezia Giulia

Hunting and not hunting areas

The yellow lines show the regional park and reserves and the white lines the national and regional and province properties

Data • Opportunistic (tracks , damage on livestock, sign of presence..) for lynx and bear (from 1970 to 2007) • Hairs traps for bear (and lynx) (from 2004-2007) • Radiotemeletry for bear and lynx – VHF and GPS (for two bears from spring to fall in 2007, for one lynx in 2007, 2008)

Bear in the hair trap: the hair traps area are present in different areas of Friuli, with hunting practices, especially with dog, and in protected areas

Photo of adult male of lynx in the Prealpi Giulie Natural park

A lynx with radiocollar (GPS/GSM/VHF): the two capture sessions, in February are performed in the Province reserve where the hunting activities are prohibited.

Two bears captured for radiotagging: the capturing session are performed , during spring, in the dog hunting areas along the border with Slovenia

Results for opportunistic signs of presence of lynx

Signs of presence (n=142) per 100 ha in different areas for lynx

signes/100 ha

0.2 0.15 0.1 0.05 0 in hunting areas

in protected areas areas

Signs of presence (n=142) per 100 ha in different areas for lynx

signs/100 ha

0.05 0.04 0.03 0.02 0.01 0 No SCIp

SICp areas

We have considered 142 signs of presence of the lynx from 1990 to 2006. 42 (23%) are cropped in the areas without hunting, 37 (20%) are taken in SCIp e 39 in SPA

Results for telemetry of the lynx

Province reserve for wildlife, Hunting prohibited

Regional property, hunting prohibited

Regional reserve

Gogle map for lynx radiotelemetry study area: a province reserve, where is prohibited the hunting, is the core of home range and is used as a day resting refuge; the near areas are mainly by dog hunting

Lynx Home range (ha) in hunting season (september-december) 4000

protect_area

2000

hunting_area

1000 0 10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

99

% of home range - Kernell estimator

Rate of hunting areas and protected areas in respect to the lynx home range 100% 80% 60%

Protect_area

40%

Hunting_area

%

ha

3000

20% 0% 10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

% of home range - kernell estimator

90

99

Barriera idrografica- river

Results for opportunistic signs of presence of brown bear

Signs of presence (n=300) per 100 ha in different areas for brown bear

signs/100 ha

0.1 0.08 0.06 0.04 0.02 0 in hunting areas

Signs of prsence (n=300) per 100 ha in different areas for brown bear

in protected areas

signs/100 ha

areas

0.14 0.12 0.1 0.08 0.06 0.04 0.02 0 no SCIp

SCIp areas

For the brown bear we have considered 300 signs of presence (photo, tracks predation, Direct sighs) from 1970 to 2007, 54 Are cropped in the areas without hunting (18%) and 246 in areas with hunting. 118 are taken in the SCIp (39%).

Results for the hair traps for the brown bear

Hunting season

40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0

Areas with dog hunting

f

The presences of the bears drop during the hunting season; Some new genotypes stay in hunting areas

e d

e

e

m br

br

ve m

no

b a

di ce

e

e

to br

ot

br

o

tte m

os t

se

ag

gl io lu

o

no ug

gi

ag gi

m

ril e

c ap

m

ar zo

numero

Campioni genotipizzati (2004-2007) nelle Valli del Natisone

mese

With different colours different genotypes

Campioni genotipizzati (2004-2007) nelle prealpi giulie 16

Hunting season

14

f e

10

d

8

c

6

b

4

a

2

ap ril e m ag gi o gi ug no lu gl io ag o se sto tte m br e ot to no bre ve m br di ce e m br e

0 m ar zo

The presence of old one, in blue, genotype Is more frequent in spring and october (after the starting of hunting season)

numero

12

mesi

Prealpi Giulie Regional Park Area

Some new genotypes (young bear) persists in some areas also during hunting season; video clip on the use of Feeding place for the wild boar by one subadult brown bear during the hunting season in the dog areas; this kind of behavior can be very dangerous for the brown bear

Results for telemetry of the brown bear

GPS Location per 100 ha of adult brown bear

Proportion of the home range on the Italian side (60900 ha) 0.5

24% hunting areas

fix/100 ha

0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1

protecteted areas

0 protected areas

76%

selective hunting areas

hunting areas with dog

areas

GPS location per 100 ha for adul brown bear (9 years old)

GPS location of the adult brown bear per 100 ha for different areas

10

0.8

8

0.6 fix/100

n° fix

12

6 4 2

0.4 0.2 0

0

protected areas hunting areas

protected areas

hunting areas areas

no SCIp

SCIp

Prealpi Giulie Regional Park

The data of radiotelemetry confirm the shift of home range with the starting of the hunting season for the genotype, A. This animal seems to have adopted a strategy to move towards the Prealpi natural park in fall, probably to reduce the risk of interaction with the hunting activities and for the nutritional and ecological requirements

Conclusion • The lynx and brown bear seems to known very well the border of the protected areas and use them for different ecological aspects and requirements ; seems more important the natura 2000 network for the bear and protected areas without hunting for lynx • We have to study the interaction with the seasonal allowance of food and human disturbance to better understand this kind of behavior and role of protected areas • Seems important to establish a network of small protected area