Landscape features affecting wild boar use of agricultural fields: Implications for wild boar management.

Abstract

Background: The aim of the present study was to measure the effect of forest islands and landscape features on wild boar distribution. To this end, a number of features were identified in both, the interior and the surrounding area of forest islands and wild boars use of agricultural space was measured using the pellet group method, in which wild boar feces were counted along 60 km of transects.

Results: The use of agricultural areas by wild boars close to forest islands was influenced by the characteristics of the forest island interiors, including their length, the cover conditions, and the main tree species, which were pine, spruce, and alder. The use of agricultural areas far from the forest islands was influenced by stand age (negatively) and forest island width (positively). The intensity of agricultural area use was also influenced by the characteristics of the forest island surroundings, including the type of agricultural crop (rapeseed and cereals), the presence of other forest islands, and the presence of large forest patches, all of which were important factors.

Conclusion: Knowledge of the characteristics of the interior of the forest islands as well as their surroundings that determine the use of the agricultural areas by wild boars can be utilized to select sites for intensifying hunting pressure or taking other actions to prevent damages to crops. This can lead to an increase in the effectiveness of wild boar population control and to a reduction in conflict between this species and humans.