Improving decision-making for sustainable hunting: regulatory mechanisms of hunting pressure in red-legged partridge

摘要: Knowledge about how hunting pressure is determined, and the relative efficacy of different mechanisms to regulate harvest, can help improve managers’ decision-making process. We developed a general framework process that regulates red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa) in central Spain based on information from focus group individual interviews with game managers. also used available compare efficiency tools thus improving some decision steps. evaluated cost-effectiveness population monitoring methods as way reduce uncertainty availability hunters. Additionally, we investigated relationship between annual harvest various regulatory study area identify most potentially useful one limit take-off. Game managers usually set after qualitative assessment abundance prior season, but this was frequently modified during course season according variations catch or perceived at time. Our results showed kilometric indices (counting partridges cars along line transects) simple cost-efficient reliable estimate density (estimated by Distance sampling). A variety were The variables affected (in addition abundance) number driven-shooting days, hunter walked-up suggesting their adjustment will be efficient mechanisms. conclude adequate should critical step for decision-making, better understanding value mechanisms, combining social ecological approaches, would our any human-mediated system, leading management recommendations.