Abstract
Moose (Alces alces) management strategies in Lithuania, East Europe, were analyzed. The study was intended to show the (un)sustainability of the current management approach in relation to changes in hunting rules, hunting organization and development of the responsible administrative bodies. Moose population and bag dynamics were analyzed using I index in connected scatterplots and compound annual growth rates (CAGR). In 1962–2020, the CAGR of the moose population was 3.84%, resulting in a population size increase of nearly 10 times. The seesaw principle in moose management was confirmed, showing three periods of population decrease (1973–1977, 1989–1995, 2000–2005), and two periods of hunting bag decrease (1976–1978 and 1990–1993). All decline phases were related to legal and administrative issues in the country. Since 2006, population growth has not been controlled. Lithuania has no long-term strategy of the moose population management at any administrative level. The current management approach is not sustainable, as it has not ensured long-term stability of the moose population. The current continuous growth of population, followed by only a moderate increase in the hunting bag, is related to the possibility for owners to adopt long-term planning of the hunting plot units.
Highlights
Almost all of Europe is populated by ungulates; their populations are expanding due to changes in land use [1], reintroductions, legislative changes and management approaches [2]
Moose population and bag dynamics were analyzed using I index in connected scatterplots and compound annual growth rates (CAGR)
The aim of this paper was to analyze the sustainability of moose management strategies in Lithuania in relation to changes in hunting rules, hunting organization and the development of the responsible administrative bodies
Summary
Almost all of Europe is populated by ungulates; their populations are expanding due to changes in land use (reforestation, abandonment of agricultural lands) [1], reintroductions, legislative changes and management approaches [2]. The moose (Alces alces L.) is one of the biggest and has a circumpolar species distribution [3,4]. The largest moose populations are in Fennoscandia, mainly in Sweden and Finland, and these countries maintain the highest hunting bags [5]. The growth of moose populations in many countries depends on land privatization and forest dynamics. Political and economic shocks are the main drivers of forest change [6], but can be the main drivers of wildlife population changes [7], including that of moose [8]. Moose is hunted in all countries within their continuous distribution, including within most of the protected areas [9]. There is a lack of a unified approach to the hunting [10], even in neighboring countries such as Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland [11]
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