Agri-environment schemes and predator management: Impacts on brown hare populations in Hungarian farmland

Abstract

Population densities of brown hare (Lepus europaeus) have declined markedly over recent decades across Europe, largely driven by agricultural intensification and habitat homogenization. In response, Agri-Environment Schemes (AES) were introduced to mitigate biodiversity loss. This study evaluates the effectiveness of AES on brown hare populations across Hungary from 2007 to 2014, and the influence of vegetation quality and predator control (focused on the red fox, Vulpes vulpes) on AES effectiveness. Using data from 482 wildlife management units (WMUs), we analyzed relationships between hare densities, AES land cover (arable and grassland), vegetation quality (proportion of preferred habitats by hare), and fox reduction rates. Hare population estimates and harvest data were compared annually to a pre-AES baseline using linear mixed-effects models. We found consistent annual decline in hare densities regardless of vegetation quality. AES land cover was low (typically <10 %) and had no significant positive effect on hare density. AES grasslands were often heavily grazed, reducing habitat suitability. WMUs with higher fox reduction rates had higher pre-AES baselines and steeper declines in hare densities, suggesting that predation control was insufficient for mitigating hare declines. The effects of AES land cover were not influenced by vegetation quality and predator control. Overall, our study found that AES measures in Hungary, particularly those involving grasslands, had limited effectiveness in supporting brown hare populations. We recommend increasing AES cover with more targeted, vegetation-specific AES practices and landscape-scale management to support long-term hare conservation.