A summary of research findings from the Scottish case study

© Scott NeweyA review of the effects of game birdmanagement on non-game species’Scott Newey, Karen Mustin, Steve Redpath and Justin Irvine12BackgroundAcross Europe, game bird hunting occurs over millions ofhectares of land, and provides economic and social benefits.Game birds and their habitat are often intensely managedto increase population density. Here we set out to assess theconsequences for non-target species.Research questionsAll management activities can have positive and negativeeffects on certain species. We reviewed the literature to assessthe evidence for the effects of different types of managementon other species also present in the habitats managed forgame birds.MethodWe considered five broad management activities: predatorcontrol, habitat management, provision of supplementaryfood and water, rear and release, and parasite/diseasecontrol and reviewed published literature to collate andsynthesise our current understanding of the impacts of thesemanagement activities on the abundance, diversity, breedingsuccess and survival of non-game species. We reviewed 41studies.Key findingsThe published evidence suggests that game bird managementcan have positive effects on some non-game species andnegative effects on others. Predator control is one of the mostwell studied aspects of game bird management results mainlyshow positive or no significant effect on non-game species.However, illegal control of protected predators has clearnegative effects on some predator populations. Habitatmanagement in agricultural areas generally has positiveeffects on a range of species, while the effects of managementin non-agricultural areas are more variable. Whilst there area number of negative effects of rear and release, there is littleresearch concerning how this form of management affectsthe abundance, diversity, breeding success and survival ofnon-game species. While some aspects of the effects of gamebird management on non-game species are well studiedother areas are less well researched, in particular there is littleknown on the effects of the provision of supplemental foodand water, and studies to assess the impacts of parasite anddisease control on non-game wildlife are generally lacking.Lessons learnt for best practiceDespite many shared goals, hunting and conservation areoften in real or perceived conflict over management objectivesand practices. Although more data are clearly needed to fullyunderstand the broader biodiversity effects and trade-offsassociated with different management activities, the availableevidence suggests that, with the exception of illegal predatorcontrol and release of exotic species, game bird managementpractices are positive or benign for non-game species.Two birds with one stone: can biodiversity conservation and game bird management be reconciled? Mustin, K., Arroyo, B., Beja, P., Bro, E., Irvine, R.J.,Newey, S. & Redpath, S. [Manuscript in preparation].