About the project
Project number: V4-2223
Project duration: 1. 10. 2022 – 30. 9. 2024
Overall budget: 174.947,00 €
Cofinancing: 100 % Slovenian Research And Innovation Agency and Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food
Lead partner: Faculty of environmental protection
Abstract
In recent decades, the population size and spatial distribution of wild boar (Sus scrofa) have been significantly increasing across Europe. This trend, in addition to species' ecological role and the direct benefits it provides to ecosystems and the environment, also presents a major management challenge. The rising numbers of wild boar have led to an increase in conflict situations, particularly damage to agricultural land. Approximately half of all wild boar-related damages in Slovenia occur on grasslands due to rooting. Such damages are spatially dispersed, extend over almost the entire year, and are difficult to prevent.
Previous findings suggest that anthropogenic nutrient inputs, such as fertilization, can have a significant impact on the occurrence of rooting on grasslands. However, the nature of this impact (or the influence of other factors) remains unclear along gradients of population density and under different nutrient input practices (e.g., varying regimes, methods, and amounts of fertilization), as well as under different climatic conditions. To define and subsequently implement effective measures (e.g., short-term deterrence, provision of alternative protein sources, altered practices of anthropogenic nutrient input through fertilization and/or feeding), it is essential to understand the primary causes of wild boar rooting.
The specific objectives of the project are:
C1. To make a review of existing findings from across Europe on the causes and consequences of wild boar rooting, the effects of fertilization on the occurence of rooting, and the effects of feeding on the species' fitness, population dynamics, and consequently the likelihood of damage on grasslands and other agricultural lands.
C2. To determine how environmental and population factors, particularly anthropogenic nutrient inputs—considering differences in the intensity, regime, and method of soil fertilization as well as feeding intensity of wild boars—affect the vulnerability of agricultural land (grasslands) to wild boar rooting.
C3. To assess the influence of soil properties and the availability of food resources for wild boars in the soil (e.g., macro- and mesofauna species, underground plant parts) on rooting. This will be examined along a gradient of wild boar population densities in Slovenia, across different ecosystem conditions (grasslands/pastures in lowland, hilly, and montain zones), and under varying intensities or purposes of grassland use. Comparisons will also include areas of long-term agricultural abandonment and forest ecosystems.
C4. To understand the dietary preferences of wild boars in relation to rooting and anthropogenic nutrient inputs using a combination of traditional methods (stomach content analysis) and modern molecular-genetic techniques (metabarcoding of environmental samples and feces, i.e., detecting the presence of environmental DNA or eDNA).
C5. To identify and quantify the presence of agricultural pests (e.g., various invertebrates such as May beetle larvae) in the diet of wild boars.
C6. To determine the impact of wild boar rooting on biomass production and species composition/diversity of different grassland types and to evaluate the effects of various remediation methods depending on grassland type and the timing of damage.
C7. To expand existing knowledge about the potential of protein-vitamin supplements as a means to reduce wild boar rooting on grasslands.
C8. To evaluate the effectiveness of some mitigation measures that are already in use or could potentially be used to prevent wild boars from rooting on grasslands.
C9. To prepare operational guidelines for mitigating damage caused by wild boar rooting and to develop recommendations for implementing suitable mitigation measures, feeding practices, and hunting strategies.
C10. To start with systematic population size and density assessments of wild boars in Slovenia (as one of the key factors influencing grassland damage) by implementing modern research techniques/tools and integrating into European consortia/networks developing such methods (e.g., the European Observatory of Wildlife).
C11. To contribute to education, the training of new personnel, and the enhancement of research potential in the fields of wildlife research and game management in Slovenia.
C12. To reduce conflicts between landowners and population managers, which will require intensive dissemination of results to end-users. This will involve: creating a project website; conducting activities in collaboration with key stakeholders and end-users (landowners, farmers, hunting ground managers, hunters, wildlife management planners); presenting the issues and results at professional meetings (e.g., hunting conferences); and publishing a professional-scientific monograph on wild boars.
