Cross-Cultural Analysis of the Consumer Profile of Hunting Tourism and Trophy Hunting from Tradition to Protected Areas: Study Case on Romania and Spain

Hunting has major importance from many perspectives: As a product of leisure and recreation, as a tool for conservation and wildlife management, as the main economic activity in rural areas, or as a cultural heritage and traditional activity for countries around the world, especially for countries in Europe and Africa. Therefore, this research fills a gap in the literature and offers a cross-cultural opinion and perceptions of 198 hunters from Romania and Spain. The aim of the paper is to analyze the perceptions and opinions of hunters regarding hunting tourism through an online self-administrated questionnaire by convenience sampling using hunters associations from these countries. Among the values that identify hunting as an activity, hunters highlight the human values (friendship, company, ethics), ecological values (love of nature associated with hunting as a tool to understand and enjoy the natural environment), and social values (resources generated, hobby, effort). The respondents can self-criticize some components and aspects of hunting groups. Hunters believe that the future of this sector is moving towards commercial hunting, associated with purchasing power to ensure results. Regardless of the nationality of the hunters, their values related to this sector are similar.

Differences in ungulate population use in different hunting grounds in Lithuania

Abundant ungulate populations are considered ecosystem drivers that affect forestry and agriculture. Their management is ecologically and economically based on game density regulations, considering the balance between density and carrying capacity of the territory, population status and dynamics, and hunting needs. Although the population status and dynamics are not a new question, it is still unclear how to manage populations properly depending on the hunting intensity. We aimed to analyse and compare the ungulate population status like moose, red deer, roe deer and wild boar in the Punia pine forest, where the commercial hunting is conducted, and in the hunting grounds managed by hunter clubs in Prienai forest. We performed the study during four hunting seasons 2009 - 2013. The data on harvesting and abundance were obtained from the field works and using the official statistics of the Ministry of Environment. The moose local populations are not abundant, or animals occur occasionally, and their density does not reach the minimum permissible level. The control of moose is non-purposeful and insufficient on both of study territories. The red deer population is rather stable on areas of hunting clubs while hardly reaches the minimum density level. On the commercial hunting area, the population density 2-3 times exceeds the permissible density level. Red deer population should be used more intensively. Wild boar is used intensively on the areas of hunter clubs, and animal density is close to the permissible level. Unfortunately, on the areas of commercial hunting, wild boar is used passively that is why their density exceeds permissible level even four times. The main harvested species are red deer and wild boar in both hunting grounds. Their numerous populations stay close to permissible density level. However, gamekeepers keep the larger animal numbers on the areas of commercial hunting. As the main aim is the trophy hunting, the stags and boars are most used when compared to females and young. Therefore, on the areas of commercial hunting, use of wild boar and red deer is unreasonable and their density exceeds permissible level several times. Keywords: commercial hunting, hunting clubs, population, status, ungulate

Migration and Loss of Phlegmariurus (Lycopodiaceae) at Southern Slope of Mt. Slamet Central Java Indonesia

Phlegmariurus is a genus of lycophyte plants in the family Lycopodiaceae which is sensitive to climate change. In the past, there were four species namely 1) Phlegmariurus phlegmaria, 2) P. nummulariifolius, 3) P. carinatus, and 4) P. squarrosus found as epiphytic clubmosses on many trees such as pines and Agathis on the southern slope of Mt. Slamet. During 42 years there has been a significant loss of Phlegmariurus at the slope which covers approximately 15,000 ha rain forest covering the subdistrict of Cilongok in the west, Baturraden in the middle, and Sumbang in the east. Some surveys that had been conducted from 1978 to 2020 showed that the presence frequency of the plant decreased. We correlated the temperature increase data from NOAA and precipitaion data from the local meteorology and geophysics data to the frequency of the plants. Furthermore, we also interviewed ten nurseries which sold the Phlegmariurus of approximately 60 nurseries (Figure 6). The information we gathered showed that the location of the plant sources was above the previous locations. We also observed the cultivated Phlegmariurus at different altitudes namely at 95-97 m, 300-400 m, and 600-800 m a.s.l. The result of this study showed that in the past there were a lot of Phlegmariurus spp. However, in 2020 Phlegmariurus were absent in most areas at the southern slope of Mt. Slamet. We proposed three causes of the migration and loss of Phlegmariurus at the southern part of Mt. Slamet namely: 1) The increase of temperature, the decrease of precipitation, and 3) commercial hunting.

Chimpanzee population response to commercial hunting in south-east Cameroon

Wildlife monitoring data provide an objective basis for evaluating conservation efforts and refining conservation strategies. Central chimpanzee nest censuses were conducted in La Belgique Research Site, south-east Cameroon, in 2001 (reference year) and 2014 using the Standing Crop Nest Count methodology. In both study years, 10 6-km transects traversing all habitat types were opened at a constant bearing of 45° to collect nest data. Analyses were performed in Distance 6.2. Chimpanzee nest density values (nests/km²) were 112 and 69 in 2001 and 2014, respectively. These results suggest that chimpanzee numbers in the research site have dropped by 38.4% in 13 years. This is probably due to a strong commercial hunting pressure, especially since 2009, whereby gun hunting has become the de facto method for harvesting wildlife in the region. From the reference year till 2014, the study site had not been subject to devastating disease epidemics or major habitat disturbance from logging and agricultural activities. In the study site−where the presence of conservation scientists and the constant sensitization within the rural communities raise awareness of the need for ape protection−chimpanzees are not particularly targeted by hunters, and it is quite plausible that a number of individuals fled to adjacent forest patches where disturbance shooting is minimal. However, despite observed range shifts, chimpanzees persist in the region. In contexts where laws are not enforced rigorously enough, conservation research presence or other activities aiming at reinforcing the value of living great apes are crucial for the survival of these critically-endangered species.

Chimpanzee population response to commercial hunting in south-east Cameroon

Wildlife monitoring data provide an objective basis for evaluating conservation efforts and refining conservation strategies. Central chimpanzee nest censuses were conducted in La Belgique Research Site, south-east Cameroon, in 2001 (reference year) and 2014 using the Standing Crop Nest Count methodology. In both study years, 10 6-km transects traversing all habitat types were opened at a constant bearing of 45° to collect nest data. Analyses were performed in Distance 6.2. Chimpanzee nest density values (nests/km²) were 112 and 69 in 2001 and 2014, respectively. These results suggest that chimpanzee numbers in the research site have dropped by 38.4% in 13 years. This is probably due to a strong commercial hunting pressure, especially since 2009, whereby gun hunting has become the de facto method for harvesting wildlife in the region. From the reference year till 2014, the study site had not been subject to devastating disease epidemics or major habitat disturbance from logging and agricultural activities. In the study site−where the presence of conservation scientists and the constant sensitization within the rural communities raise awareness of the need for ape protection−chimpanzees are not particularly targeted by hunters, and it is quite plausible that a number of individuals fled to adjacent forest patches where disturbance shooting is minimal. However, despite observed range shifts, chimpanzees persist in the region. In contexts where laws are not enforced rigorously enough, conservation research presence or other activities aiming at reinforcing the value of living great apes are crucial for the survival of these critically-endangered species.

Nets, Lures, and Camouflage

This essay is about those many hunters in northern and central Italy who captured birds (mostly) for commercial reasons, far from the glamorous performances of aristocratic falconry. It investigates their techniques and practices in the context of their local environments and socio-cultural frameworks. While birds were status food, hunting them thus mostly amounted to a marginal economic activity. The variously wary nature of their target species, and the necessarily repetitive nature of commercial hunting warranted practices in which the hunter’s profile was consistently very low, and in which unsuspecting birds were attracted and captured on the basis of their ecological behavior. The paper is based on Book X of Pier de’ Crescenzi’s early fourteenth century manual Ruralia Commodorum as well as a series of Italian documentary sources from Venice and Tuscany and argues that in late medieval Italy such hunting knowledge was predominantly part of an oral tradition. These sources point both to actual use of certain practices in bird hunting as well as suggesting the modus operandi of the hunters, keen and dynamic observers and users of their local natural environments.