Academic literature on the topic 'Wild boar Ecology'

Some features of wild boar ecology in the natural and man-made landscapes of the Tambov region have been studied. The dynamics of the number, distribution, food ration, breeding characteristics, limiting factors and protection of wild boars in the region have been analyzed.

AbstractThe spread of the African swine fever through wild boar population has caused major losses in the pig industry. Therefore, to decrease the population density of wild boar in Poland, the culling of these animals has been dramatically increased. However, the effect of depopulation is unknown because there are no methods that could be used throughout the country to estimate the number of wild boar. Thus, during two hunting seasons an attempt was made to estimate the number of wild boar using data from collective hunts. The forested area of 21 hunting districts (351.5 km2) was divided into five sampling inventory blocks (SIBs), which were used for the statistical analysis of the population density, the harvest rate and results of collective hunts. The average population density obtained by a driving census amounted to 8.19 ± 1.12 and 10.09 ± 1.06 (x̅ ± SE), animals/km2, which indicates that 2879 and 3547 wild boar were living in the study area in 2012/2013 and 2013/2014 seasons respectively. The number of wild boars bagged per one hunting plot was adopted as the harvest success index (HBI). In SIBs the HBI value fluctuated in the range of 0.55 to 1.87 individuals/hunting plot and the population density ranged from 6.46 to 12.18 wild boars/km2. The non-linear regression showed a positive relationship between the HBI index and the population density. The discussion covers the possibility of using collective hunts to estimate the number of wild boar in Poland and in the European Union.

The wild boar (Sus scrofa Linnaeus, 1758) is considered one of the 100 worst invasive species in the world and is present in the high-elevation forests in Brazil. Our objective was to understand how landscape and atmospheric conditions affect space use by wild boars. We hypothesized that wild boars would be more frequent at lower elevations, warmer and wetter forested areas, and away from human disturbances. After three years of data collection (2013–2016) using 16 camera traps, 881 independent records were obtained with a mean of 4.44 ± 9.25 pigs per record. Wild boar frequency of occurrence was higher at lower elevations, in more humid and warmer areas, and farther away human disturbance factors, corroborating our initial hypothesis. Understanding space-use patterns of wild boars is necessary for the design of management strategies that target areas of more intense usage, as well as for defining more effective population-control techniques.

This paper is an analysis of the effects of forest fragmentation on wild boar (Sus scrofa) occurrence in coarse-grained fragmented landscapes (<20% forest–scrubland cover on a landscape scale; N = 140 forest fragments, four regions) in central Spain. Occurrence was examined in relation to forest size, isolation, habitat quality, and region. Wild boar occurrence was mainly explained by the location of the forest fragments on the northern or southern plateau. Wild boars were more abundant on the northern plateau than on the southern plateau. In addition, wild boars are more frequent in large forest fragments adjacent to other large forests near mountains or riparian woodlands. The percent presence of wild boars in fragments varied among the four regions sampled (regional effect). Although wild boars occurred more frequently in large than in small forests, this pattern was less pronounced than that found in badgers (Meles meles), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), and stone martens (Martes foina) and similar to that found in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes). The spatial distribution of wild boars may be affected by forest fragmentation despite their typical generalist life-history traits and potential use of agricultural areas as food habitats. These results support the idea that landscape pattern (degree of fragmentation and grain pattern) may be a determinant of species' abundance and distribution in fragmented landscapes.

Wild animal meat harvesting and processing is signifi cantly different from classical livestock meat production and represents a challenge by itself.Implementation of concept “from forest to fork” encompasses influence of hunting ground ecology, type of hunting, fi eld evisceration of hunted game, meat inspection aft er shooting or transport etc. The objective of this paper was to propose a model for monitoring and control of food born pathogens in wild boar´s meat. Hazard analysis emphasized the importance of several pathogens: Mycobacterium spp., Salmonella spp., Trichinella spp., and a fi ve-step control program were proposed. The program includes management of microbial contamination of wild boar meat, control measures for live animals, control measures during hunting and aft er shooting, guidelines for offi cial meat inspection with specific details for control of identifi ed hazardous pathogens and control measures for wild boar carcasses processing. Th e research on presence of food born pathogens in wild boar meat is still scarce, while the Trichinella spp. live cycle is well described and there are relevant data about epidemiology and natural reservoirs of the parasite in this part of Europe, little is known about tuberculosis and salmonellosis prevalence in wild boar population. Thus, implementation of control program, with strictly defi ned control measures cannot be overemphasized, and should include veterinary offi cials as well as hunters and others involved in game meat chain.

Wild boars (Sus scrofa) have increased rapidly in population size and home range since their reintroduction to the Swedish fauna. Through their rooting behaviour, the boars can cause great disturbance to the ecosystem. The consequences of this disturbance have been recorded in many parts of the world but the effects they have on boreal forest ecosystems have been less studied.In this study I examined to what extent wild boars affect (i) the soil microbial community, (ii) the soil respiration, (iii) the soil C and nutrient content, as well as (iv) the growth of trees in a boreal forest in central Sweden. Enclosures that have harboured wild boars for seven years were compared with nearby areas without wild boars in both a pine forest and a spruce forest. Using phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analyses, the soil microbial biomass, community, and fungi:bacteria ratio were investigated in the treatments. The soil respiration was measured monthly from June to November. The total soil concentrations of C, N and P were examined as well as the availability of N in the form of NO3-and NH4+. Tree growth was measured by measuring tree ring width and comparisons were made by looking at the relative ring width of tree cores before and after the introduction of wild boars. I found that the soil microbial community did generally not differ between the treatments, except for a higher fungi:bacteria ratio within the enclosures. Soil respiration was consistently lower in the enclosures throughout all months. Soil nutrient levels were similar between the treatments except for a slightly lowertotal P content and NO3-content in the pine forest enclosure. Lastly, the tree growth was severely decreased by the presence of wild boars. In summary my study suggests that anincrease of the wild boar population in boreal forests may have a minor impact on many soil processes, while tree growth can be hampered. However, studies in natural ecosystems are needed to investigate this effect further.

This study described the behavioural ecology of wild boar in a Mediterranean coastal area, with particular reference to its diet, home range, activity patterns and habitat use. Food use, derived from the analysis of faeces, was compared to the availability of the main food resources. The results showed that boar selected energy-rich food items such as acorns, olives and pineseeds, and relied mainly on graminoids when these resources were not available. Olives and acorns were used according to their availability, whilst pine-seeds were heavily searched for even when their production was low. The availability of pine-seeds, acorns and olives was unpredictable; as a consequence, the diet of the wild boar in the MNP showed no seasonal pattern, depending on the temporally available food items. The greater production of energy-rich food items in 1991-92, and the low availability of these foods in the following two years, was likely to have influenced body weights of boar, number of females breeding and litter size. The lack of high-energy food in winter 1992-93, the drought that hardened the soil in the following months and hampered rooting activity, together with the increased population density, were probably the main factors responsible for mortality amongst boar. Radiotelemetry allowed the estimate the home range size, activity patterns and habitat use. The results showed that home range decreased and the amount of activity increased during 1993, characterised by food shortage, high density of boar and high mortality. It was suggested that wild boar adopted strategies to cope with starvation and drought by (i) drastically reducing the size of their home range whilst slightly increasing the amount of activity for foraging in a smaller area, and (ii) shifting to habitat types, like meadows and olive-groves, that provided the only available food i.e. graminoids. No sex-related differences in home range size were found in this study. This finding was attributed to the fact that none of the 10 radiotracked females bred in 1993.

El senglar (Sus scrofa) és un ungulat omnívor summament adaptable, generalista pel que fa al tipus d’hàbitat i de recursos tròfics. Les seves poblacions estan augmentant de manera generalitzada a Europa, especialment en les darreres dècades, probablement per la conjunció de causes biològiques de l’espècie, ambientals i antròpiques. Amb l’augment de les seves poblacions també s’han incrementat els danys a l’agricultura, les col·lisions amb vehicles i la probabilitat de transmissió de malalties com la pesta porcina africana i clàssica, la brucel·losi, la tuberculosi, la salmonel·losi i la malaltia d’Aujeszky. Per a la gestió correcta de l’espècie cal disposar de dades demogràfiques, de la seva distribució i de l’ecologia espacial fiables i precises. Aquestes dades, escasses encara, permetran orientar les estratègies de gestió encaminades a disminuir-ne les poblacions, així com a dissuadir els senglars per evitar conflictes. En aquesta tesi s’ha estudiat la viabilitat del trampeig fotogràfic per estimar l’abundància poblacional i els efectes que sobre aquestes estimacions té aplicar esquer a fi d’incrementar-ne l’efectivitat. També s’ha aprofundit en l’ecologia espacial dels senglars. Concretament, s’ha proposat una aproximació metodològica que facilita l’estandardització en les estimacions d’espais vitals. També s’han avaluat els patrons de l’ús de l’espai, així com els efectes de l’edat i del sexe sobre aquests patrons, i els factors d’hàbitat que els condicionen. L’hàbitat escollit per a la present tesi ha estat l’ambient mediterrani, atès que hi ha pocs estudis en l’àmbit de la península Ibèrica i també a escala mundial. Aquest ambient presenta una marcada heterogeneïtat espacial i estacional que condiciona la distribució i els moviments de la població de senglars. L’ús d’esquer va incrementar la precisió de les estimacions d’abundància obtingudes mitjançant trampeig fotogràfic. També va millorar substancialment la valoració de la mida mitjana de grup de senglars. Els resultats assenyalen que els índexs d’abundància relativa poden ser una bona aproximació a l’abundància poblacional. Respecte a l’estudi dels espais vitals i els patrons d’ús de l’espai, el resultat va ser que ni el sexe ni l’edat van tenir efecte en la mida dels espais vitals. Es van observar dos tipus d’espai vital, el majoritari, format per diversos centres d’activitat separats, i el minoritari, que forma una àrea compacta. La majoria de desplaçaments entre centres d’activitat es van donar principalment a l’hivern i a la primavera. A escala de població, els senglars van seleccionar hàbitats forestals, cultius, torrents i punts d’aigua. A més, aquesta selecció va ser estacionalment diferenciada: a la primavera i a l’estiu van seleccionar els camps de cereal, i a la tardor i a l’hivern van seleccionar els alzinars i les vinyes. La present tesi aporta informació necessària per facilitar la comparació entre treballs realitzats en altres zones, tant d’avaluació d’abundàncies a partir de trampeig fotogràfic com d’anàlisi dels espais vitals i, per tant, d’ús i selecció d’hàbitat. Aclarits els aspectes metodològics, s’aporten dades sobre l’abundància poblacional i l’ecologia espacial de l’espècie en un ambient mediterrani de muntanya. Les dades aportades facilitaran l’establiment de les zones i dels períodes de major conflicte potencial amb les activitats humanes, així com la possibilitat d’avaluar l’efectivitat de les mesures de gestió adoptades per minimitzar conflictes.
El jabalí (Sus scrofa) es un ungulado omnívoro sumamente adaptable, generalista en cuanto al tipo de hábitat y recursos tróficos. Sus poblaciones están aumentando, especialmente en las últimas décadas, de manera generalizada en Europa, probablemente por la conjunción de causas biológicas de la especie, ambientales y antrópicas. Con el aumento de sus poblaciones también se han incrementado los daños a la agricultura, las colisiones con vehículos y la probabilidad de transmisión de enfermedades como la peste porcina africana y clásica, la brucelosis, la tuberculosis, la salmonelosis y la enfermedad de Aujeszky. Para la correcta gestión de la especie es necesario disponer de datos demográficos, de su distribución y de la ecología espacial fiables y precisos. Estos datos, escasos todavía, permitirán orientar las estrategias de gestión encaminadas a disminuir las poblaciones, así como a disuadir a los jabalíes para evitar conflictos. En esta tesis se ha estudiado la viabilidad del trampeo fotográfico para estimar la abundancia poblacional y los efectos que sobre estas estimaciones tiene aplicar cebo con objeto de incrementar su efectividad. También se ha profundizado en la ecología espacial de los jabalíes. Concretamente, se ha propuesto una aproximación metodológica que facilita la estandarización en las estimaciones de dominios vitales. También se han evaluado los patrones en el uso del espacio, así como los efectos de la edad y el sexo sobre estos, y los factores de hábitat que los condicionan. El hábitat escogido para la presente tesis ha sido el ambiente mediterráneo, debido a que existen pocos estudios en el ámbito de la península ibérica y también a escala mundial. Este ambiente presenta una marcada heterogeneidad espacial y estacional que condiciona la distribución y los movimientos de la población de jabalíes. El uso de cebo incrementó la precisión de las estimaciones de abundancia obtenidas mediante trampeo fotográfico. Además, mejoró sustancialmente la valoración del tamaño medio de grupo de jabalíes. Los resultados señalan que los índices de abundancia relativa pueden ser una buena aproximación a la abundancia poblacional. Respecto al estudio de los dominios vitales y los patrones de uso del espacio, el resultado fue que ni el sexo ni la edad tuvieron efecto en el tamaño de los dominios vitales. Se observaron dos patrones de dominio vital, el mayoritario, formado por varios centros de actividad disyuntos, y el minoritario, que forma un área compacta. La mayoría de los desplazamientos entre centros de actividad se dieron principalmente en invierno y primavera. A escala poblacional, los jabalíes seleccionaron hábitats forestales, cultivos, torrentes y puntos de agua. Además, esta selección fue estacionalmente diferenciada: en primavera y verano seleccionaron los campos de cereal, y en otoño e invierno seleccionaron los encinares y viñedos. La presente tesis aporta información necesaria para facilitar la comparación entre trabajos realizados en otras zonas, tanto de evaluación de abundancias a partir de trampeo fotográfico como de análisis de los dominios vitales y, por tanto, de uso y selección de hábitat. Clarificados los aspectos metodológicos, se aportan datos sobre el tamaño poblacional y la ecología espacial de la especie en un ambiente mediterráneo de montaña. Los datos aportados facilitarán el establecimiento de las zonas y periodos de mayor conflicto potencial con las actividades humanas, así como la posibilidad de evaluar la efectividad de las medidas de gestión adoptadas para minimizar conflictos.
The wild boar (Sus scrofa) is a highly adaptable omnivorous ungulate, generalist in terms of habitat and trophic requirements. Their populations are increasing in a generalized way in Europe, especially in recent decades, probably due to the conjunction of biological, environmental and anthropic causes. With the increase of their populations, damage to agriculture, collisions with vehicles, and the probability of transmission of diseases such as African and classical swine fever, brucellosis, tuberculosis, salmonellosis and Aujeszky’s disease have also increased. For the correct management of the species it is necessary to have reliable and accurate demographic, distribution and space ecology data. These data, still scarce, will help guide management strategies aimed at reducing populations, as well as deterring wild boars to avoid conflicts. In this thesis, the viability of the camera trapping to estimate population abundance and the effects that bait has on these estimates in order to increase its effectiveness, has been studied. The work also focused on spatial ecology of wild boars. Specifically, a methodological approach has been proposed to home range estimate standardization. We also evaluated the space use patterns as well as the effects of age and sex on them, and the habitat factors that condition them. The habitat chosen for this thesis has been the Mediterranean environment, as there are few studies at the Iberian Peninsula level and also worldwide. This environment has a marked spatial and seasonal heterogeneity that determines the distribution and movements of the wild boar population. The use of bait increased the precision of abundance estimates obtained through camera trapping. In addition, the assessment of the average of wild boar group size was substantially improved. The results indicate that relative abundance indices can be a good approximation to population abundance. Regarding the study of home ranges and spatial use patterns, the result was that neither sex nor age had an effect on home range size. Two patterns of home ranges were observed, the predominant one, made up of several disjoint activity centers and the minor one, forming a compact area. Displacements between activity centers occurred mainly in winter and spring. On a population scale, wild boar selected forest habitats, crops, streams and water points. In addition, this selection was seasonally differentiated: in spring and summer they selected the cereal crops, and in autumn and winter they selected the oak forests and vineyard crops. This thesis provides necessary information to facilitate the comparison between work done in other areas, both for evaluating abundances from camera trapping, as well as for analysis of home ranges and, therefore, for habitat use and selection. After clarifying the methodological aspects, data are provided on the population size and spatial ecology of the species in a Mediterranean mountain environment. The data provided will facilitate the establishment of areas and periods of greatest potential conflict with human activities as well as the possibility of evaluating the effectiveness of management measures adopted to minimize conflicts.

I april-juli år 2010 undersöktes tre studieområden i mellersta Sverige avseende hur fördelningen av vildsvinsbök såg ut i dessa områden. Resultaten visade att vildsvinsbök främst återfanns i miljöer dominerade av tall-och granskog där åldern på träden låg runt 45-90 år, samt med fältskikt bestående av bärris, mossa eller gräs. På två utav de tre lokalerna påverkades inte arealen på bök av faktorer såsom trädartsammansättning, trädålder eller fältskikt men det fanns däremot korrelationer mellan dessa faktorer på en utav lokalerna. Vidare påverkades arealen på bök inte av populationstäthet eller hur lång tid vildsvin förekommit i området.
In April-July in 2010, three forest dominated areas in central Sweden were studied to investigate wild boar rooting habits. The results showed that rooting mainly occurred in pine-and spruce dominated habitats where tree-ages varied between 45-90 years old and with ground surface vegetation consisting of shrubs (blueberry/lingonberry), mosses and grass. In two of the three study areas the size of rooted areas was not affected by factors such as tree species composition, forest age or vegetation ground cover, but correlations between these factors were found in one of the areas. The size of rooted areas was not affected by the population density or the time with wild boar present in the area.

Naturbetesmarker är ett av de artrikaste markslagen vi har, för att hålla dem öppna med betande djur finns ett miljöstöd från landsbygdsprogrammet utformat för att gynna den biologiska mångfalden. Vildsvinen (Sus Scrofa) har under de senaste årtiondena ökat markant, vilket har lett till stora ekonomiska konsekvenser för lantbruket genom skador på jordbruksmark. Av tidigare forskning kan vi se att skadorna inte påverkar den biologiska mångfalden negativt. Biologisk mångfald är en central del i det miljöstöd som lantbrukarna får för att hålla sina naturbetesmarker öppna. Men vad säger markägarna om vildsvinsproblematiken på naturbetesmark och hur ser de på framtiden? Studien utgår från markägarnas perspektiv, där vi undersöker hur markägarna upplever vildsvinsskador på deras naturbetesmarker och hur skadorna påverkar deras skötsel. Vi undersöker även hur markägarna upplever den rådgivning och stöd som de får från berörd myndighet samt vilka förändringar de vill se i vildsvinsförvaltningen. Vi valde i studien att använda oss av kvalitativa forskningsintervjuer, där sex markägare intervjuades. Resultatet i studien visar att markägarna upplever att det största problemet är att skadorna är tidskrävande och kostsamma att rätta till. Det framkom även kritik mot dagens utformning av miljöstödet och att trycket från vildsvinsstammen måste minska för att man ska orka att hålla sina marker öppna i framtiden. Slutsatsen är att det måste till ett större helhetsgrepp kring vildsvinsförvaltningen för att minska skadorna och mer individuell rådgivning för den enskilda markägaren.
Pasturelands is a land with high biodiversity, in order to keep them open with herbivores, there is environmental support from Landsbygdsprogrammet designed to benefit the biological diversity. Wild boars (Sus Scrofa) have increased markedly in recent decades, which has led to major economic consequences for agriculture and it´s land. From previous research, we can see that the damage does not adversely affect biodiversity. Biodiversity is a central part of the environmental support that the farmers receive to keep their pasturelands open. But what does landowners say about the problems with wild boar on pasturelands and how do they look on the future? The study is based on the landowners ‘perspective, we examine how landowners experience wild boar damage to their pasturelands and how the damage affects their management. We also examine how landowners experience the advice and support they receive from the authority and what changes they want to see in wild boar management. In the study, we choose to use qualitative research interviews, in which six landowners were interviewed. The result of the study show that landowners feel that the biggest problem is that the damage is time-consuming and costly to repair. There was also criticism of today´s design of environmental support and the pressure from the wild boar population must be reduced in order to keep their land open in the future. The conclusion is that there must be a greater holistic approach to wild management to reduce the damage and more individual advice for the individual landowner.

Orientador: Mauro Galetti Rodrigues
Resumo: Invasões biológicas são uma das principais ameaças à biodiversidade, razão pela qual é campo de interesse de investigações científicas dos ecólogos. Os Neotrópicos abrigam uma das maiores riquezas de espécies do planeta e ao longo dos últimos anos vem sofrendo um aumento expressivo no número de introduções de espécies exóticas. Uma delas é o javali Sus scrofa e suas raças cruzadas com porcos domésticos, que em sua forma silvestre e de vida livre chamamos suídeos asselvajados. Ao longo dessa tese procuro investigar algumas das consequências ecológicas da invasão dessa espécie, assim como apresentar um panorama do controle populacional empregado hoje no Brasil, buscando sempre que possível fazer uma discussão dos resultados aplicada ao manejo da espécie. No Capítulo 1 mostro como a introdução acentuada dessa espécie ocorrida nos últimos 20 anos no Brasil fez com que ela se distribuísse amplamente por todo território nacional, principalmente nas regiões Sul, Sudeste e Centro-Oeste. No Capítulo 2 eu procurei fazer uma avaliação da efetividade do papel ecológico de frugivoria e dispersão de sementes prestado por esses animais. O Capítulo 3 mostra como as paisagens agrícolas estão subsidiando a invasão dos suídeos asselvajados potencializando a expansão da espécie e no Capítulo 4 busco revelar o papel do invasor no deslocamento do nicho trófico dos pecarídeos nativos.Já o Capítulo 5 apresenta um breve relato da interação entre os suídeos asselvajados e morcegos vampiros e, ao final... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo)
Abstract: Biological invasions are one of the main threats to biodiversity, which is why it is a field of interest for scientific investigations by ecologists. The Neotropics are home to one of the planet's greatest species richness, and over the last few years it has been experiencing a significant increase in the number of exotic species introduction. One of them is the wild boar Sus scrofa and their crossed-breeds with domestic pigs, that in its free-living wild-form we call wild pigs. My effort throughout this thesis is to investigate some of the ecological consequences of the invasion of this species, as well as present an outlook of the population control employed in Brazil, always seeking to make a discussion of the results applied to the management of the species. In Chapter 1 I show how the severe introduction of this species that occurred in the last 20 years in Brazil has made it widely distributed throughout the country, especially in the South, Southeast and Midwest regions. In Chapter 2 I evaluated the effectiveness of the ecological role of frugivory and seed dispersal provided by these animals. Chapter 3 shows how agricultural landscapes are subsidizing the invasion of wild pigs enhancing the species' expansion. In Chapter 4 I seek to reveal the role of the invader in displacing the trophic niche of native peccaries and Chapter 5 presents a brief account of the interaction between wild pigs and vampire bats. In the end, Chapter 6 outlines a profile of the methods and mo... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)
Doutor

Studies into the behavioral ecology of wild boar and domestic pigs are promising, yet largely neglected, areas of archaeozoological research. Changes in both the diet and health of animals may reflect specific details about the possible scale and extent of human impact on hunted wild boar populations and domesticated pigs in the past. Histological and chemical ‘signatures’ of (for example) physiological stress, brought about by possible human influence, can often be recovered in the dental and skeletal tissues of Sus. However, a fuller interpretation of what the significance of these signatures might be can only be achieved if their aetiology is known, and that can only be done by studying these phenomena in modern extant populations. One of the many aspects of the human–Sus relationship is the exposure of wild boar to contaminants from anthropogenic sources. An example of this is the pollution of wild boar habitats by fluoride from power plants and other emission sources, leading to the occurrence of characteristic dental changes, known as dental fluorosis, in the affected individuals of Sus scrofa (Kierdorf et al. 2000). However, dental fluorosis also occurs in wild and domestic mammals (and in humans) living in areas with increased environmental levels of fluoride from natural sources (Shupe et al. 1983; Cronin et al. 2000, 2003; Garrott et al. 2002; WHO 2002). The macroscopic changes of dental fluorosis reflect a disturbance of the processes involved in enamel formation. Once the permanent dentition of an individual is fully formed, exposure to excess levels of fluoride will not lead to fluorotic enamel changes. Dental fluorosis can therefore be used as a highly sensitive indicator of excess fluoride exposure during the period of tooth formation in humans and other mammals (Fejerskov et al. 1988; DenBesten 1994; Boulton et al. 1999; Kierdorf & Kierdorf 1999; Kierdorf et al. 1999). Higher levels of fluoride also exert negative effects on the skeleton throughout the life of an individual, the pathological changes being known as skeletal fluorosis (WHO 2002). This crippling disability is a major human health problem in various regions of Africa, China, and the Indian subcontinent, where millions of people are affected (Finkelman et al. 1999; WHO 2002).

A group of sea otters laze at the edge of Elkhorn Slough. They float on their backs in the steel- gray water, paws folded against their chests, gazing at the small boat steered by ecologist Brent Hughes of the University of California– Santa Cruz. Hughes has documented a profound shift in the slough’s ecology, triggered by the otters. Sea otters were nearly driven to extinction by fur hunters in the 1800s, and were gone from Elkhorn Slough for a century. In 1984, when the first sea otters recolonized, Elkhorn Slough’s once bountiful eelgrass beds had dwindled to a few small, scattered patches. Now, more than thirty years after the sea otters’ return, expanding eelgrass beds grow lush beneath the water’s surface, the dense leaves sheltering juvenile fish and feeding an array of invertebrate grazers. The slough, on the central California coast, is one of the most severely polluted estuaries on the planet. Artificial fertilizer applied to 2.69 million acres of farmland in the neighboring Salinas Valley runs into its waters. The excess nutrient load causes eutrophication. It also fuels the growth of epiphytic algae that thrive on the surface of eelgrass leaves, blocking the sunlight the grass needs and smothering whole beds. The problem is common in estuaries around the globe, which receive heavy loads of nutrients from rivers draining polluted watersheds. Seagrass meadows filter contaminants from water and prevent coastal erosion in addition to acting as nurseries for fish and invertebrates. These crucial habitats are disappearing. The global distribution of seagrasses has decreased by 29 percent over the last 140 years, and 58 percent of the surviving seagrass meadows are in decline. Nutrient pollution of coastal waters had long been thought to be the main driver of this trend. But in Elkhorn Slough, the eelgrass has made a remarkable comeback even as pollution loads continued to climb. The mechanism of this welcome ecological shift was unknown until Hughes demonstrated that sea otters are the key. He began to put the pieces of the puzzle together when he went diving in Tomales Bay, an unpolluted estuary to the north. The eelgrass in Elkhorn Slough was lush and green despite intense pollution; in Tomales Bay, where there are no sea otters, the eelgrass was a dull brown, smothering under epiphytic algae.

<em>Abstract.</em>—Development and evolution of salmon fisheries management in the Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim (AYK) region from the early 1900s to the present is described. Before statehood in 1959, commercial fisheries in the region were managed using a combination of quotas and closures with the aim of protecting the large subsistence fisheries in the region. After statehood, the newly formed Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the Alaska Board of Fish and Game developed a more flexible approach to commercial fisheries management, based more on fishing time than quotas, to allow harvest to vary with run strength. Collection of detailed catch and escapement data as well as biological information such as age, sex, and length laid the foundation for better understanding salmon runs and setting escapement goals. These goals were first established from 1979 to 1984, and were based on average escapements under the principle that maintaining average, or better, escapements should maintain harvests at historical levels. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, management evolved toward more closely regulated fisheries to ensure escapement goals were met. During this time, the department began working cooperatively with resource users in the region through groups such as the Kuskokwim River Salmon Management Working Group and the Yukon River Drainage Fisheries Association. These relationships helped improve public input and use of local knowledge in fishery management as well as developed support for increased research funding. In the late 1990s, run failures throughout the region led to disaster declarations and the designation of many AYK salmon stocks as stocks of concern under the state’s Policy for the Management of Sustainable Salmon Fisheries. These run failures contributed to finalization of salmon sharing agreements between the United States and Canada, and signing of the Yukon River Salmon Agreement after 16 years of negotiation. Management of salmon during recent years has focused on refining escapement goals through spawner-recruit analyses, better assessing run strength to help ensure meeting escapement goals, and collecting additional information on population sizes, spawner distribution, and stock identification. The goal of management for the future is to set scientifically defensible escapement goals that provide the greatest likelihood of sustaining salmon runs and to improve run assessment techniques that will ultimately aid in maintaining viable subsistence and commercial fisheries throughout the region.

“Victoria” Association for Women was established in 2002. Its operations focus on problems faced by women from various backgrounds, and with varied professional, legal and social status. Assistance for women struggling with difficulties involves: support in efforts to become independent, improvement of self-esteem, and finding way in the job market. The Association organizes courses, trainings as well as conferences and promotes new forms of employ-ment. The organization is an advocate for individuals (groups) marginalized in the community; its services include legal, psychological, family and career counselling. It cooperates and initiates partnerships with institutions administered by local governments, with trade unions, nongovernmental organizations and economic entities. The areas of activity include: aid and support for families facing difficulties, health care, protection of rights, counteracting unemployment, promotion of education, culture and ecology, operations fostering integra-tion and cooperation at the local and in-ternational level, promotion of tourism and recreation, public order and safety. Yet, due to its location in an old building with no elevator, the organization’s office is inaccessible for people with motor disabilities. The paper will discuss selected areas of the organization’s operation tak-ing into account findings acquired from official documents and freeform interviews with representatives of the board.

The results of studies of the winter ecology of the wild boar Sus scrofa in the Anyui National Park, where the animals are fed in winter, are presented. It has been established that in different parts of the park, the population density, the herd index and the age composition of the groups differ significantly. In general, the population density is higher than in typical habitats of the Amur region.

"Game-based learning is proven to be a motivational and effective approach, especially in STEM education. However, the process of developing a game is rarely used as an educational tool. Ecology is part of the science curriculum in Italian high schools, but for students results not easy to understand the ecosystem structures and functions from a systemic perspective. Furthermore, addressing ecological issues in a changing world will request them not a reductionist approach but a systems perspective. In this work our main objective is to consider further possibilities offered by board games, exploiting not only the game experience but also the use of the game design process as an immersive motivational learning tool for science, with a learning by doing approach. Ten students have been engaged (16-18) in two activities: events to test and analyse cooperative board games and a laboratory for the development of a new board game on ecosystems (""YouTopia – La Valle ecosistemica""). Two focus groups were conducted, before and at the end of the laboratory, to test students' engagement and to collect feedback about the efficacy of the method to boost interest and specific knowledge in ecology. The research reveals that game development can foster system thinking skills among students, and act as a powerful learning tool for complex subjects such as ecology. Results are encouraging and the proposed approach has the potential to be applied and replicated in high school and middle school, to foster students’ engagement in tackling and understanding topics such as evolution, genetics other topics characterized by complexity and systemic approach. Preliminary results show as the YouTopia game could be a valid tool for citizenship education. By playing the game, students investigate and practice democracy, the mechanisms of land planning and natural resources protection, and the principle of coresponsibility in making choices for the future."