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Authors
Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
The presence of predators in a habitat is considered a stabilizing force in the population of herbivores, contributing to the balance of the ecosystem. However, the predator’s overpopulation causes a drastic reduction of primary consumers, exceeding the capacity of the ecosystem and endangering the entire food chain. To solve that situation, density control actions are being implemented by man, for balance maintenance purposes or to prevent damages. Often, in the council of Azambuja, there are carried out these actions, by Hunting Associations to control the carnivore population in forest areas, in particular the egyption mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon) and the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), for their allegedly effect on the lagomorphs population decline. The objective of this study was to describe the capture process end-to-end: how the authorization is required, how is it done in the field, how the fiscalization is made and the results on the biodiversity. The methodology used was the record of the process, interview of the people responsible in field for these actions, and consultation with the national authorities involved. It was verified that the national services which controls these actions (National Institute for Nature Conservation and Forestry) and responsible for the evaluation of the licenses requests, issued these ones to a local hunting association, without any previous study of those two species population’s densities or maximum carrying capacity of the environment for them. There’s no effective supervision of the implementation of this action in the field. It was also clear that hunters use these actions, not to guarantee the ecosystem balance, but to eliminate predators in order to increase the lagomorph’s population for the hunting season. So a process that first established the ecosystem’s balance can and may do exactly the opposite.
Description
Keywords
Vulpes vulpes Herpestes ichneumon Overpopulation control Ecosystem balance
Pedagogical Context
Citation
Teodósio, Marisa; Seixas Sónia - Control of carnivore overpopulation (Egyptian Mongoose and red fox) : study case in the council of Azambuja (Portugal). In Costa, Manuel Filipe Martins; Vázquez Dorrío, José Benito, ed. - "Hands-on Science [Em linha] : brightening our future". [S.l.] : Hands-on Science Network, 2015. ISBN 978-989-8798-01-5. p. 150-155
Publisher
Hands-on Science Network - HSci