The effect of natural and human-induced habitat conditions on number of roe deer: case study of Vojvodina, Serbia

Abstract

Roe deer (Capreolus capreolus L.) have greatly expanded in both distribution and abundance during the last few decades, and are the most abundant cervids in Europe today. The aim of this paper is to determine the factors that have the most considerable impact on roe deer numbers in the Vojvodina region (North Serbia). Environmental (area in ha, total area of forest and total area of meadows and pastures in hunting ground) and anthropogenic (number of registered hunters, number of hunting sections, number of gamekeepers and roads in km on 1,000 ha) factors had been shown to influence the number of roe deer in Vojvodina region. A multiple regression analysis was carried out as the main statistical approach. The mapping of certain parameters was done using ArcGIS 9.2 software in order to establish the relation between the roe deer population and the different environmental and anthropogenic conditions. The results signify that the roe deer number dependency in the Vojvodina region is a very complex and multi-factorial phenomenon, strongly influenced by human induced modifications. The effect of natural and human-induced habitat conditions on number of roe deer: case study of Vojvodina, Serbia 59

The significance of wetlands for the sustainable tourism of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina

“…Posebna pretnja za vlažna staništa Vojvodine jesu otpadne vode, krivolov i dejstvo zabranjenih poljoprivrednih hemijskih sredstava sa okolnih poljoprivrednih zemljišta, što se odražava na redukciju flore i faune. Prostori vlažnih staništa mogu biti bogati rezervoari lovnih divljači, što je značajan resurs razvoja kontrolisanog lovnog turizma (Marković et al, 2017). Pravilan turistički razvoj može da bude konzervator i katalizator razvoja ovih zaštićenih vlažnih prostora.…”

The residents' attitudes about the development of hunting tourism in Vojvodina (Serbia)

“…During the second half of the last century, Serbia was considered a notable hunting tourism destination in this region (Ristić et al, 2009), and hunting tourism activities were mostly taking place in Vojvodina, the northern province of Serbia. The favorable geographical position, rich wildlife funds and diversity of wildlife, hunting tradition, and hospitality contributed to the massive development of hunting tourism in Vojvodina with an average of 3-4 thousand foreign hunters per year, mostly coming from Western and Central Europe and Russia (Dragin, 2006;Marković et al, 2017). After the deterioration of the political stability in the country, in the mid-1990s, the number of hunting tourists dropped drastically (Dragin, 2006).…”

Forest land-cover changes 2012-2018 in hunting grounds in Vojvodina

“…Although the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) of the forest category in Serbia is above the average score of the top 16 European countries (Radivojvević et al, 2019) there are still big challenges related to forestry, especially in Vojvodina province. In Serbia, about 30% of the total area is under forest (Jovanović, Milanović, 2015;Vukajlović et al, 2017) while the Vojvodina province -Northern Serbia is one the least forest area in Europe with only 6% under forest (Marković et al, 2017; Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia, 2017). The diversity of natural conditions has resulted in the fact that the Vojvodina region is a typical agricultural region with pronounced urban areas.…”

“…It is characterized by vast areas of arable land with crops. Besides the agriculture land, there are also areas under steppe, ponds, wetlands, and forests which are favorable habitats for diverse wildlife species as well (Marković et al, 2017).…”

“…Vojvodina Province was the pioneer and nowadays is still the leading region in Serbia in game and habitat management activity and protection (Ristić et al, 2009). Although game habitat is widely influenced by a range of biogeographical factors (Torres et al, 2011), recent researches have determined that available food (Virgós, Telléria, 1998) and land cover (Mysterud, Østbye, 1999;Borkowski, 2004;Borkowski, Ukalska 2008;Melis et al, 2009) are two essential factors. Furthermore, forest area is important in the form of the following components: as a food supplier, as a shelter provider, as the creator and regulator of the micro-climate of the habitat, etc.…”