Hungarian Agricultural Research, 2013 (XXII/1-4)
2013-03-01 / 1. szám
0101917 OMgKOK Periodik: 2 NTS • News & Events • News & Events • News & Events • News & Events • News & Events Csányi, Róbert Lehoczki, and Krisztina Sonkoly National Game Management Database of Hungary - A 20 years stewardship of Hungarian wildlife resources Introduction In the last half century, advances in ecological science and increasing public environmental awareness have resulted in changes in the management of renewable natural resources. Managers are now expected to apply ecological theory and knowledge to management of wildlife species and their habitats. A major goal of wildlife biologists and game managers is to conserve natural resources and manage wild populations on ecologically sound bases. In case of game species, sustainable or "wise” use of their populations is the most important objective of management. In order to achieve sustainable use of game species, management should be based on intrinsic population attributes, as well as environmental characteristics and processes affecting populations. Wildlife managers need reliable, accessible and well designed data on the managed populations, their habitats, and the complexities of ecological interactions. The National Game Management Database of Hungary was first mandated by the Game Conservation, Management and Hunting Law in 1996. Since then, the database has contributed significantly to several aspects of game management; from plan development to wildlife ecological research and education. The database have supported the conservation of the famous Hungarian game populations, benefiting both hunters and the public, and has improved understanding and acceptance of ecologically sound wildlife management. Historical roots Sustainable use of wild populations is a priority in international conservation treaties and relevant European Union legislation. However, this is not a new concept; in many countries sustainable use of forests and game is a centuries old tradition. In Hungary, the first elements of modern, “sustainable” game management were established in the late 19lh century, along with efforts to integrate forestry, agriculture and game management. To achieve a balanced management of game and reach the conservation objectives, we need comprehensive, organized, and detailed information. For hunted species, this data must include information on population size and structure, data on taken and/or live-caught game, and the quality of the harvested animals, e.g., trophy scoring data, body weight, sex and age composition. Such databases have been developing in several European countries, e.g. Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Norway, Switzerland. Game bag data was first collected in Hungary in the 1890s by Károly Keleti, the renowned president of the Hungarian Office for Statistics, and with some exceptions, bag records have been available for more than 100 years. However, data collection and publication of national and/or regional statistics is not enough for detailed analysis; data should be available in a format for analyses using multiple variables or high level details. The National Game Management Database Studies from the 1970s had recurrently indicated that the development of game management and consistency of management decisions required better data collection and the set up of a national game management database, utilizing technological innovations in computer science, data processing, and statistical methods. The database needed to include all relevant information for each game management unit, species populations, game bags, and trophy evaluation. The Act on Game Conservation, Management and Hunting (Act LV, 1996) mandated the formation of the National Game Management Database (NGMD, Országos Vadgazdálkodási Adattár in Hungarian). In accordance with the law, the goals of the NGMD are to: • Store data on game populations and game management in a way that can be used for multiple analytical procedures. • Provide input to spatial analyses and mapping. • Facilitate decision-making and planning efforts at various levels of game management administration. In order to design such a vast database, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development contracted the Department of Wildlife Biology and Management, University of Agricultural Sciences in Gödöllő (currently the Institute for Wildlife Conservation, Szent István University) to design and develop a database in 1993. From the start, the NGMD was developed on personal computers using commercial software, including the database format and software used for spatial data management and analysis. Using standard computer platforms, the programmers developed the special applications for data input and statistical output (generally descriptive statistics for regions or country level). The NGMD is primarily based on data provided by the 24 game management regions with ca. 1400 game management units (GMUs). The database contains the following information: • Spring population data for red deer, fallow deer, roe deer, mouflon, wild boar, brown hare, ring-necked pheasant, and grey partridge. • Game management reports for red deer, fallow deer, roe deer, mouflon, wild boar, brown hare, ring-necked pheasant, grey partridge, wild ducks (5 species), wild geese (2 species), and other hunted species (mainly predators). These data include the bags, live-catches, non-hunting mortality, game feeding, and costs of game management activities and incomes from hunting during the hunting season. • Trophy scoring data for red deer, fallow deer, roe deer, mouflon, and wild boar provided by the National/County Trophy Scoring Committees. • Address and other data for each GM U. Detailed description of borders and game management maps of each GMU (digitalized, scale 50,000). • Description and maps of the 24 management regions (based on the GMU maps), long-term (10-year) game management plans of the GMUs, and regional game management plans of the 24 game management regions (2003). The NGMD is compatible with other data bases collected Continued on page 19. Hungarian Agricultural Research 2013/1