Project Details
Description
In recent years, wild boars in Noord-Brabant and Limburg have increased in numbers and distribution outside the designated habitat for this species. This development entails potential risks for road safety and increases the chance of agricultural damage due to feeding and rooting behaviour. In addition, wild boars can pose a risk to livestock farming because they can play a role in the transmission of animal diseases. A recent threat is the spread of African Swine Fever in Europe, with an outbreak in Belgium being the closest location (EFSA Panel on Animal Health and Welfare, 2018). For the adequate management of wild boars and the (model-based) estimate of transmission risks of animal diseases, it is essential to have insight into the numbers of animals per area, the fluctuations within and between years (population dynamics) and the role of migration and dispersion in these fluctuations (degree and sources of influx). It is also important for the management and assessment of transmission risks to have an overview of the land use and the effect of management measures (including hunting methods) on the land use. In Noord-Brabant and Limburg, however, only limited (count) data are available and an accurate insight into each of these factors is lacking. The aim of this study is to gain a thorough understanding of the actual numbers of wild boars. Migration, reproduction and mortality play an important role in this.
The research answers the following questions:
Is it possible to gain better insight into:
a. the exact number of boars in a sub-area?
b. the development of the population size per sub-area over time?
c. the extent of (after) growth, mortality and migration, and thus fluctuations in population size during the year (population dynamics)?
d. the sources of any immigration
Is it possible to get a better indication of the total population size in a larger area by extrapolating the genetically determined population size?
| Status | Finished |
|---|---|
| Effective start/end date | 1/01/21 → 31/12/22 |