Application of ecological principles and theories for wildlife management.
Concept of ecological requirements and description of communities. Main ecological processes applied to wildlife management: intraspecific and interspecific competition, predation. Description and estimation of parameters of competition and predation processes. Optimal foraging theory and functional and numerical responces. Description of population dynamics, on data base of censusing and hunting bags.. The concept of the biological, agro-forestry and social carrying capacity. Migration and dispersion-dispersal, with some example. Population dynamics: The concept of meta-population, sink-source and mainland and island system. The role of home range. The marginal value theorem and application. Biology and ecology of the game and rare, vulnerable and endangered species.
Status, distribution, biology, , monitoring and censusing of game species ( roe and red deer, chamois, wild boar, galliformes..). Status, distribution, biology, monitoring and censusing of species (rare and endangered species; bear, wolf, lynx, otter and raptors..). Principles of hunting management and definition of criteria for the hunting activities. Analysis of complex systems in presence of hunting activities and without hunting and application of hunting planes. Principles of conservation, conservation projects and management of the large carnivores at local and national level. Working groups: from biology and ecological requirements to conservation, human dimension and stake holders. Application of communication strategies. Methods for evaluating and techniques for reducing the impact of human activities on wildlife. Working groups: analysis of cases studies: evaluation of incidence of power lines, wind farm and ski resort, highway on wildlife and mitigation measures. Methods for evaluating and techniques for reducing the impact of wildlife (ungulates and carnivores) on human activities (animal and forestry productions) : electric and flandry fencing, guardian dogs , dissuasive feeding system and numeric control. Working groups and analysis of case studies: evaluation of the impact of the wolf, golden jackal and bear presence and application of mitigation measures. Conservation , Reintroduction , and restocking projects: wild ibex and chamois, bear, lynx and vultures. Conservation projects: working groups on case studies (Dinalp and Life Ursus and Wolfalps), analysis and evaluation. Innovative monitoring systems to improve the management and methods to promote the coexistence.
- Instructor: Stefano Filacorda