Oddgeir Andersen

ABSTRACT We discuss the development of some central management principles for recreational fishing and hunting. As ecological knowledge has been gained, it has influenced how managers have applied economic, ecological and sociocultural principles to harvest management, and contributed to the field of applied ecology. We also describe how applied ecology has been imbedded through the history of harvest regulations by giving examples of management practices in Norway and the United States. The key purpose is to draw some lessons from comparing applications used in management of recreational fishing and hunting. The most important lesson learned is that adaptive harvest management based on management plans are better tools than regulations without any evaluation of the outcome. For game species that do not have a management based on plans, we recommend adaptive management plans for the future. Key words: adaptive management, applied ecology, hunting, Norway, recreational fishing, USA, wildlife.

In Norway, red deer (Cervus elaphus) populations have been increasing for decades and the populations are expanding north-, south- and eastwards of the traditional core areas in the western parts of the country. Following a growing population of red deer, hunting quotas in some areas has reached levels so high that hunters in some cases not are able to bag enough animals to regulate numbers. Red deer hunting has traditionally been carried out by the landowner with family and friends, and few landowners open up for increased numbers of non-local hunters in the hunting fields. We believe this is highly a cultural phenomenon, rather than a management-caused (institutional) problem. Commercialization of hunting opportunities can improve hunters’ access, increase the variation in hunting amenities and contribute to develop new value chains linked to natural resources in rural communities. Population densities of herbivores close to the carrying capacity can cause several negative side-ef...

We surveyed 1841 Norwegian willow ptarmigan hunters to study the relationship between hunting effort and catch. We found no significant linear relationship between catch per unit effort (CPUE) and pre-estimated density of willow ptarmigan, when hunters reported on catch and effort for the whole hunting season. Following an information-theoretic approach, the most parsimonious model explaining hunting success consisted of seven factors; (1) hunting technique, (2) hunting experience, (3) number of hunting days, (4) number of days spent on planning, (5) an index of how easy it was to hunt in the terrain, (6) number of birds observed per day and (7) distance from road to the hunting terrain. We conclude that today’s use of CPUE in willow ptarmigan management is questionable, since we found no support for a linear relationship between pre-estimated willow ptarmigan density and subsequent CPUE on a local-regional scale, and that hunting success seem to depend more on the hunter’s experien...

... 2 Page 7. NINA Rapport 39 Sammendrag Kaltenborn, BP, Bjerke, T., Thrane, C., Andersen, O., Nellemann, C. & Eide, NE 2005. Hold-ninger til hytteliv og utvikling av hytteområder. ... livet. I rapporten gir vi en deskriptiv framstilling av de svarmønstrene som kommer fram blant ...

ABSTRACT Rondane nasjonalpark (963 km2) er et populært friluftsområde. Hovedattraksjonen er spekta-kulært landskap med 10 fjell over 2000 m.o.h. I tillegg er Rondane ett av to områder som har bestander av opprinnelig vill fjellrein (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) Forvaltningsmyndighetene er bekymret for at friluftslivsbruken i perioder kan komme i konflikt med villreinens arealbruk, for eksempel etter kalvingsperioden om våren. For å kartlegge frilufsbruken av området, ble 16 ferdselstellere av typen Eco-counter plassert ved hovedinnfallsportene til Rondane i begynnelsen av juni 2009 og tatt inn igjen i oktober samme år. Det ble registrert 76259 passeringer forbi tellerne. I tillegg ble selvregisteringskasser utplassert ved de samme stiene og 5500 personer besvarte et kort spørreskjema som var plassert i kassene. Her ble ruten de skulle gå/hadde gått tegnet ned på et kart, samt at de besvarte spørsmål knyttet til turens varighet, formålet med turen og hvor mange personer som var med. Hele 90% rapporterte at de kun gikk på merka stier.Ved å benytte data fra spørre-skjemaet, kombinert med data fra ferdelstellerne, kunne vi estimere bruksintensiteten på de enkelte stisegmentene gjennom sesongen. Seks villrein ble radiomerket i Rondane med GPS –halsbånd våren 2009. Data fra villrein som her presenteres er analysert med tanke på effekter av ferdsel. Foreløpige analyser viser en negativ interaksjonseffekt mellom villreinens arealbruk og intensiv ferdsel. Størrelsen på ukentlig benyttet areal hos villrein var mindre i perioder med intensiv ferdsel, enn i perioder med lite ferdsel. Vi fant også at avstanden til sti/vei i forhold til der villreinen opp-holdt seg, var negativt korrelert med økende ferdselsintensitet gjennom sesongen. Samme mønster fant vi også i forhold til hvor ofte villreinen kryssier sti/vei gjennom sesongen. Resultatene kan benyttes til å regulere ferdsel i sårbare områder eller perioder av året. Studien vil fortsette til 2012. Vi understreker at dette er foreløpige resultater fra første feltsesong.

ABSTRACT Ptarmigan (Lagopus mutus) hunting has long traditions in Norway. It is often assumed that hunters are more consumptively and less conservation oriented than other recreational groups. Considering the large numbers of hunters and the popularity of the sport it is more likely that hunters value both consumptive and appreciative aspects and represent diversity in their concern for the environment. In this study we surveyed 2,717 ptarmigan hunters to examine environmental orientation, and the effects of environmental orientation on different management regulations. Results showed that environmental concern is a discriminating factor for how the hunters rate hunting goals, harvest regulation measures, and acceptance of protecting parts of the bird populations in refuges. Increasing environmental concern is positively correlated with higher acceptance of regulatory management actions aimed at preserving the resource. Socio-demographic variables had limited effect on the relationship between environmental concern and attitudes toward management. Small game management needs to balance consumptive and appreciative experience dimensions, and degree of environmental orientation may be an indicator of acceptance of management actions.

Hunting is increasingly seen as a management strategy in regulating large carnivore populations and reducing conflicts
with human interests. A central theme in the carnivore debate is the role of the hunter in simulating natural predation and
structuring of ecosystems. We surveyed a sample of Norwegian hunters to examine how they see their role in the ecosystem
and to what extent environmental attitudes affect their perceptions of key functions of hunting. The hunters share a positive perception of themselves as responsible and law-abiding actors and important stewards of the ecosystem of great importance to wildlife management. Factor analysis revealed four underlying dimensions of the hunters’ perceptions of salient functions of hunting related to management, recreation, predation, and poaching. Environmental orientation was shown to affect
perceptions of recreational and experiential functions of hunting, views on poaching, and perceptions of the stewardship role
of hunters. Data on the multifaceted role of hunters can be important in the development of a socially legitimate hunting
ethic in the increasingly complex sociopolitical landscape of carnivore management.

Wild reindeer are under pressure from human development projects throughout their habitat. Norway is currently making a significant move to establish a new management model based on national reindeer regions and regional management plans. A focus on wild reindeer as a flagship species allows the species to be included as a broad conservation objective in complex land-use plans. The authors surveyed a representative sample of residents in the Rondane and Setesdal regions to examine their perceptions of the current status of reindeer and how management relates to other social and development issues. Local actors and institutions, including hunters, were perceived as more responsible and suited to make decisions about reindeer population sizes and management objectives than non-local actors. There was little
local consensus on the role of human impacts on wild reindeer, and residents rated local knowledge higher than scientific knowledge for management purposes. Rondane residents attached more importance to reindeer than Setesdal residents, but the latter saw reindeer as more threatened by human development. New management approaches will need to take a social-ecological perspective and recognize that the inclusion of reindeer can enhance broader conservation goals at regional, national, and international levels, but may also escalate local
social conflicts.

We examined community perceptions of preferred objectives for wild reindeer management in Southern Norway as the former population-based model is being replaced with an area-based, multi-level regional management model spanning large mountain regions. Communally oriented objectives are favoured over economic benefits to landowners. Environmental attitudes discriminate on many of the issues and can be useful factors in sorting out levels of support for proposed management
actions and compromises in land use decisions. The regional reindeer plans create a new political context for land use management across large mountain areas which will
require better cooperation among municipalities.

Hunting participation is declining in many Western countries. We surveyed 1,113 persons in Norway who had completed the mandatory hunting education program but not continued to hunt in order to examine reasons for desertion. Key barriers included lack of knowledge, associated expenses, and a lack of people to hunt with. Measures that may increase participation include improved knowledge about hunting practices and weapon handling, hunting opportunities, how to treat harvested game, as well as support from family and friends. We recommend the following measures to increase recruitment: a mentor arrangement where experienced hunters take the responsibility for assisting new hunters through their first season; a practical follow-up course in shooting, weapons handling, and field skills; and improved information about hunting opportunities that are accessible locally and regionally.

Hunting for willow ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus) is a popular recreational activity in Norway, but studies of the hunters are limited. While large game management in Norway is based on sound models and research, management of small game hunters and hunting have not been subject to the same rigour. Compared to the extensive body of knowledge about ptarmigan behaviour and habitat preferences, the knowledge base on ptarmigan hunters is very limited. We surveyed the habitat preferences of 3,056 hunters to identify preferred landscape categories using pictures covering a range of landscape types. We also examined to which extent residence types and forms of hunting were related to habitat preferences. Through factor analysis, we identified three categories of hunting habitat; mountain forest, low alpine and high alpine. Mode of hunting is more important than residence status in terms of preferred habitat. Hunters using dogs preferred mountain forest and low alpine habitats more than hunters without dogs. Hunters without dogs had a higher preference than dog hunters for high alpine habitats. Hunters with mixed modes of hunting have wider habitat preferences. Residence status only affects the perception of the mountain forest habitat. The results may have implications for management as land use and place-based meanings are currently changing in many natural and rural landscapes, and hunting needs to be integrated with other recreational uses.

... In this study, we investigate the capability of the municipal administrations to co-ordinate and assess large-scale second home development. ... provide stability and salient respite from the high tempo, unpredict-ability, social instability and mobility of modern life (Williams and ...

The non-indigenous signal crayfish Pasifastacus leniusculus was registered for the first time in Norway in October 2006. The location represents an isolated pond about 100 km in air line from the nearest known signal crayfish population in the neighbouring country Sweden without any connecting watercourses. The occurrence is therefore undoubtedly caused by human introduction. Molecular analyses confirmed that tested individuals from the signal crayfish population were carriers of the crayfish plague agent Aphanomyces astaci. Disease carrying signal crayfish represents a severe threat to the indigenous and endangered noble crayfish Astacus astacus. Norwegian authorities are currently considering actions for the eradication of the signal crayfish population.