Agro-silvo-pastoral Management for Red Deer Raising in Mediterranean Spain

Alfonso San Miguel-Ayanz

INTRODUCTION

PAST AND CURRENT SITUATION OF RED DEER RAISING IN SPAIN

RED DEER AS A RENEWABLE NATURAL RESOURCE. NEED OF SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT

MAJOR FEATURES OF POOR SOIL MEDITERRANEAN ESTATES

AGRO-SILVO-PASTORAL MANAGEMENT PROPOSALS

Traditional land use pattern on poor soil Mediterranean areas

Big game COPPICE, SHRUBLAND

Firewood, Charcoal

Goat

DEHESA(open woodland)

Transhumantsheep herds

Iberianpig

Pasture +Browse +Acorns

Cerealcrops

CROP LAND

Typical landscape of poor soil Mediterranean areas

CHANGES ON THE LAST FIVE DECADES

• Loss of value of fuelwood and charcoal• Movements of rural people to towns• Disappearance of transhumance • Lack of shepherds• Abandonment of marginal agricultural lands

Forestry

Livestock

Agriculture

• Reduced socio-economic activity - Sustainable Rural Development

• Sustainability of traditional agro-silvo-pastoral systems ?

Red Deer raising within fenced Mediterranean estates:- an interesting land use alternative

- a new problem of sustainability

Big game

Coppice, Shrubland

DEHESA

Pasture + browse + acorns

Cereal

CROP

Fence

Fence

Shelter + Browse

SupplementaryFood

ADVANTAGES:

• Profitability?• Possible compatibility with high environmental quality• Conservation of traditional agro-silvo-pastoral systems• Socio-economic activity. Sustainable Rural Development

DISADVANTAGES:

• Wire fences: Self-sufficient estates (water-food-shelter)• Uncontrolled browsing and hunger periods• Red Deer population increase - vegetation and fauna• Lack of knowledge on sustainable management techniques

RED DEER POPULATIONS ARE A RENEWABLE

NATURAL RESOURCE, AND THEREFORE

SHOULD BE SUBMITTED TO SUSTAINABLE

MANAGEMENT

Sustainable management of Mediterranean estates for red deer hunting should de based on solid scientific and technical knowledge, never only on opinions or the so called ´expertise´. Basic information needed:

- System´s structure and function- Management tools- System´s predictable response to alternative treatments

Major components of the systemRED DEER - MEDITERRANEAN ESTATE

Red deerpopulations

Mediterraneanwoody vegetation Natural

pastures

Agricultural crops

(Endangered)Fauna and flora

Sownpastures

• Private properties

• Owners seek profitability

• Large estates: more than 500 ha

• Perimetral wire fence

• Under Administrative control:

Technical Plan

LEGAL ASPECTS

THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

• MEDITERRANEAN CLIMATE:- Summer drought: dry pasture (low quality)- Winter cold: low pasture growth- Huge variability: IT SHOULD BE BORNE IN MIND

• NUTRIENT POOR SOILS:- Cropping is not possible every year- Special care should de taken with soil properties

(soil is the less renewable resource of the ecosystem)

• WATER AVAILABILITY PROBLEMS

• RATHER RUGGED TOPOGRAPHY

VEGETATION

Quejigar(Quercus faginea)

Encinar adehesado(Quercus rotundifolia)

Fresneda(Fraxinus angustifolia)

Mancha mediterránea

Jaral-BrezalCantuesar

Rebollar(Quercus pyrenaica)

Aliseda(Alnus glutinosa)

Litosuelo

RankerRanker

Litosuelo

Cambisoldistrico

Cambisolhúmico

Cambisoldistrico

Cambisolo luvisol

gleico

Luvisol crómicoo alisoles

Horizonte de arcilla

Cambisolgleico

Quejigar(Quercus faginea)

Encinar adehesado(Quercus rotundifolia)

Fresneda(Fraxinus angustifolia)

Mancha mediterránea

Jaral-BrezalCantuesar

Rebollar(Quercus pyrenaica)

Aliseda(Alnus glutinosa)

Litosuelo

RankerRanker

Litosuelo

Cambisoldistrico

Cambisolhúmico

Cambisoldistrico

Cambisolo luvisol

gleico

Luvisol crómicoo alisoles

Horizonte de arcilla

Cambisolgleico

• Diversity: communities and species- forests and woodlands- shrublands- herbaceous communities- croplands

• Sclerophyllous and perennial trees and shrubs: FODDER BANKS• Forest fruits (e.g. acorns) are major and strategic food resources

Forests and woodlands Tall Shrublands: Maquia

Short shrublands

Pastures

Croplands

Every plant community isessential for red deer

populations

DENSE WOODY VEGETATION

FUNCTION:

STABILITY (erosion, water, nutrients,...)SHELTERModerate FOOD supply

PROBLEMS:

It does not sustain heavy browsing- Lack of regeneration- Degradation- Disappearance of palatable species

Stability, in coppices

• No browsingNatural regeneration is possible

• Moderate browsingLack of regenerationHealthy adult shrubs and trees

• Heavy browsingLack of regenerationDegradation of woody vegetation

• Very heavy browsingLack of regenerationDisappearance of palatable species

Interior of a Mediterranean shrubland: excessive density, strong competition between individuals, lack of regeneration; browsable biomass out of ungulates´ reach

Wild olive tree (Olea sylvestris)

browsed by red deer

Madroño (Arbutus unedo) browsed by red deer

NATURAL PASTURES

MAJOR ROLE:

Food supply (grazing improves them)

PROBLEMS:

Summer dry pasture: too low nutritive qualityPoor winter growthLow leguminous biomass (shortage of proteins and minerals)

GreenGrassyield

J F M A M J J A S O N D

Hunger periods

SOWN PASTURES

• OBJECTIVES: To complement natural pastures in:- Seasons with low food supply- Quality (protein, minerals)- Quantity ?

• PROBLEMS: - Summer drought- Winter cold- Low soil fertility

permanent (several years)Two types:

temporal (crops)

RED DEER POPULATIONS

ROLE IN THE SYSTEM:• Main product• Management tool for

pastures (and shrublands)

PROBLEMS:

• Oportunist feeder• Uncontrolled browsing• Scarce information on:

- Productivity- Food selection

and requirements- Behaviour- Health

Forest and Woodland conservation is essentialStand density should be kept within suitable levels (silvicultural treatments)Natural regeneration of trees and shrubs should be possibleDiversity of species and plant communities is essential

PROPOSALS FOR SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT

A regular distribution of plant communities and water is required to guarantee an homogeneous distribution of the wild ungulate stocking rate

Browsing should be reduced to a minimum

Food resources should satisfy nutritional requirements of red deer populations

Pasture and crop management becomes a powerful tool for woody vegetation preservation

PROPOSAL: Natural and sown pastures should be able to completely satisfy red deer food requirements on an average year

Low Thinnings on Quercus pyrenaica, Quercus rotundifolia and Arbutus unedo stands

Silvicultural treatments, aimed at keeping stand density within suitable levels and sometimes at achieving natural regeneration of trees and shrubs.

Browsing could be a tool for reducing resprouting from stumps or roots, but also a threat when natural regeneration of woody vegetation is desired

• A uniform patchwork of forests, woodlands, shrublands, pasturelands and croplands is desired.

• Sometimes screefing in small patches is interesting

• Sometimes shrub communities should be encouraged, or even introduced, when shelter areas or ecological corridors are desired

PASTURE AND CROP IMPROVEMENT

Aimed at reducing hunger periods (green fodder supply) and at increasing fodder quality (protein and minerals) throughout the year

• P FERTILIZATION: increases the abundance of legumesrecommended only on “good” natural pastures

• INTRODUCTION OF LEGUME RICH PERMANENT PASTURES

• It is difficult to find suitable perennial species (low soil fertility, summer drought)• Subclover is a very interesting species (serradella, other clover species...)• Shelter crops (rye) could provide protection from cold and winter fodder• High levels of grazing intensity are needed in order to lengthen their lifetime• Proposal: 1 % of the total estate area

• CROPS (usually oat, barley, rye, wheat, triticale)

• Aimed at reducing hunger periods: usually summer (grain) but also winter (green leaves)

• 3-4 year cycles: fallow – crop – stubble – annual grassland• Proposal: 2,5 - 5 % of the total estate area ( x 3-4)

Subclover with rye as shelter crop. First year Permanent pasture dominated by subclover. ≥ 2 years

Open oat-barley cropland (summer)Fenced oat-barley cropland (spring)

A UNIFORM DISTRIBUTION OF SHELTER, EVERY KIND OF FOOD AND WATER SHOULD BE ACHIEVED BY USING G.I.S.

Leyenda:

a de asos cone t ébol

N

CaminosCortafuegosArroyos

1 0 1 Kilometers

pasos

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AGRUPACIONES VEGETALES

Escala 1:30.000

MAPADE VEGETACIÓNDE"LOS QUINTOSDE MORA"

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BROWSE INTAKE: 69,2% (ALVAREZ y RAMOS, whole year)BROWSE INTAKE: 95,7% (ALVAREZ et al, stags, winter)

35,7% (SAN MIGUEL et al, whole year)

Monthly diet composition or red deer. Quintos de Mora (Toledo)

Before pasture and crop management

After pasture and crop management

43.5935.68

60.26

78.83

56.3168.49 64.70

46.5337.64

14.4627.26 26.92

56.4164.32

39.74

21.17

43.6931.51 35.30

52.08

42.45

12.37

12.43

36.07

3.14

19.92

73.1760.30

41.13

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Ene Feb Mar Abr May Jun Jul Ago Sep Oct Nov Dic

Herbáceas(%) Leñoso sin bellota % Bellota(%)Herbs (%) Browse (%) Acorns (%)

Artificial watering points for wild ungulates (Quintos de Mora, Toledo, left; San Juan, Ciudad real, right)

Exchangeablepine log aimed at reducing red deer damages

(antler cleaning)to live trees

Electric fence for protecting an oat-barley crop from grazing (winter-spring)

Mineral supplementfor red deer populations

Supplementary food for red deer spread on the floor. Most

individuals have access to it

Racks for red deer supplementary feeding. Only males or dominant hinds

feed on them