Brown Hare (Lepus europaeus) as a bioindicator of changes in the agricultural landscape in the Czech Republic, Acta Facultatis Forestralis, Zvolen

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F62156489%3A43310%2F23%3A43924463" target="_blank" >RIV/62156489:43310/23:43924463 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

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DOI - Digital Object Identifier

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Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Brown Hare (Lepus europaeus) as a bioindicator of changes in the agricultural landscape in the Czech Republic, Acta Facultatis Forestralis, Zvolen

Original language description

The European brown hare (Lepus europaeus Pallas, 1778) is a vital bioindicator that reflects the health of its environment, yet its numbers have been declining consistently across Europe for several decades. This study assesses the impact of large-scale agriculture on hare populations, particularly within the context of the HA Postoupky-Hradisko region, where numbers have fallen sharply since the 1970s. Historical data indicate that optimal densities of 50-60 hares per 100 hectares, as seen in the Netherlands and the best habitats in Poland, have not been sustained. Changes in land management from extensive to intensive agriculture, especially the shift to large monoculture fields, have been a primary driver of habitat degradation. Political and socio-economic decisions, particularly in the former Czechoslovakia, have resulted in a tenfold increase in average field size, eliminating boundaries and windbreaks essential for hare habitation. Our findings confirm that such alterations in landscape structure have significantly contributed to the decline in hare numbers, with monocultures of maize and oilseed rape failing to provide adequate refuge or sustenance. The recommended hunting quotas and thresholds, as suggested by population viability analyses, are no longer applicable under current agricultural practices. This paper argues for an immediate re-evaluation of land management policies and the establishment of diverse, hare-friendly habitats to alleviate the ecological stress on this species and encourage recovery through its rapid reproductive cycle.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_ost - Miscellaneous article in a specialist periodical

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

10619 - Biodiversity conservation

Project

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Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2023

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Acta Facultatis Forestalis Zvolen

ISSN

0231-5785

e-ISSN

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Volume of the periodical

65

Issue of the periodical within the volume

2

Country of publishing house

SK - SLOVAKIA

Number of pages

14

Pages from-to

65-78

UT code for WoS article

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EID of the result in the Scopus database

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