Population and harvest dynamics of Capercaille (Tetrao Urogallus) in Sweden

• Since it has been species,times immemorial the caperca illie has been a valued game species in Sweden, particularly in the north, whereimportant both as food and as an economic resource for the people of the countryside. Today it is still a popular gamenot so much for food, but as game witll a very high recreational valu e. The capercaillie is a wood land grouse mainly associated with old-growth However, forestry method detrimental for tile present the harvestforest, and is in fact, sometimes regarded as an umbrella or indicator species for this type of habitat.the Swedish forests have long been intensively used. At least since the 1950's, clear-cutting has been the dominantand has reduced the acreage of capercai llie habitat. Thus, the present forestry practices might be expected to becapercai llie. However, the capercai llie population is still harvested over most of the country. In this study westati stics of the capercai lli e, based on the game statistics collected by the Swedish Association for Hunting andWildlife Management. The present day harvest statistics are compared to a national breeding bird inventory managed by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. Furthermore, some data on the breeding success of capercaillie in mainly northern Swedenis included. Even if the game statistics do not perfectly reflect the true population, the overall picture is likely to be closely mirroredand shows us that the population fluctuated in a way which is typical for a small game species in northern boreal regions. Evenwith the huge changes in the forest structure, tree species composition, forest age, and substantial acreages of clear cut areas population ofduring recent times, the annual harvest level of the capercail lie is still around 20,000 birds. However, the autumn pre-harvestof the species differs considerably between southern and northern Sweden. The intensity of harvest in different partsSweden is discussed briefly.

Ämnesord

LANTBRUKSVETENSKAPER  -- Annan lantbruksvetenskap -- Miljö- och naturvårdsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES  -- Other Agricultural Sciences -- Environmental Sciences related to Agriculture and Land-use (hsv//eng)

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