Ecoscript 16 Marechal, Rosemzweig & Taapken. The Search for an Ecologically
Responsible Policy of Fauna Management

Any foreigner, on being confronted with the weight of legisla-
tion on nature conservation, environmental hygiene, and town
and country planning must surely be impressed by the care with
which the Dutch surround themselves, their environment, and
their wildlife.

But would not the same foreigner, having looked a little fur-
ther, wonder why there are so many action groups and lobbying
organizations in the country?

What is, in fact, the everyday practice of nature conservation
in the Netherlands? What has been left of the natural environ-
ment? How much is being lost to development, whether for agri-
culture, industry, traffic, housing or recreation? Perhaps all
the legislation on environmental conservation and management
is little more than delaying tactics turning a rout into an
orderly retreat.

Worse still: though one is forbidden to pluck a gentian, they
are all too often bulldozered away by the thousands. Lampreys
and miller's thumbs may not be caught but poisoning by liquid
manure or destruction of their environment by modern land
drainage schemes goes unpunished. The momenta fox pokes its
nose outside a nature reserve it may be blasted by gun-happy
licensed hunters who never stop to think of its ecological
significance. The migratory birds have to run the most diffi-
cult gauntlet of all. They need a great variety of biotopes,
often in differing countries and even continents, to be able
to preserve their life cycle. Even if their breeding grounds
are protected they can still be shot by thousands during
migration or die of poisoning from pollution.

Greater international recognition is being given to the impor-
tance of migratory animals. After all, they belong to us all;
a 'res communis' becoming ever more precious as it becomes
increasingly scarce. International co-operation is an urgent
necessity if we wish to preserve such precious natural resour-
ces.

But those who are, in some degree or other, aware of this
urgency all too often disagree in practice. Their aims and
principles may be the same but they differ on the tactics to
be used. The opposite is, fortunately, also often true, a
communal policy can emerge among groups with different aims.
This study aims at developing as purely an ecological view of
the natural function of wildlife as possible. It should not be
seen only as a jeremiad against hunting, even though some
common hunting customs and views are seriously questioned. We
expect the hunters likewise to put their views forward, and
this study should stimulate them to do so.

Much of what is said about hunting in this study can also be
applied to recreational fishing. We were continually aware of
this during our work but decided to leave it out in order not
to make the matter more complicated than it already is. Never-
theless, much of what has been said about lead poisoning, bot-
ulism and other symptoms of deterioration of the natural envi-
ronment can be laid at the door of the anglers just as well as
that of the hunters.


CONTENTS:
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About the authors 7

PREFACE 8

INTRODUCTION 9

THE INFLUENCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES AND THE HUNTING
AND TRAPPING OF ANIMALS, ON WILDLIFE SPECIES 11
conclusion 14

THE ECOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF THE PRESSURE EXERTED ON POPUL-
ATIONS BY HUNTING 15
The reduction of populations 15
Shifts in populations 16
The disturbance of ecological relationships 17
The risks to non-game species 17
Disturbance of behaviour patterns 18
Flight distances 19
Interference with pairing 21
Lead poisoning and pollution 22
Pollution 25
Counterfeiting fauna 25
Introduction 25
Predator control 27
Improvement/deterioration of the biotope 28
Conclusion 28

THE PREVENTION AND COMBATTING OF DAMAGE BY ANIMALS 29
Clause 8.1 29
Clause 8.2 29
Clause 8.3 29
The Rook (Corvus frugilegus) in Great Britain 29
The Cormorant (Phalacrocorax sinensis) in the Netherlands 30
The Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) in Central Europe and
North Africa 31
Clause 53.3 32
Conclusion 33

HUNTING AND TRAPPING ON LAND NOT IN USE FOR COMMERCIAL
CROPPING 34
Hunting in the service of nature conservation 34
Conclusion 35
The hunter's code of conduct 35
Conclusion 36

HUNTING AND CONSERVATION: THE WEIGHTED SCALES OF JUSTICE 37
Conclusion 39

HUNTING TO SATISFY PRIMEVAL PASSION AND AS A SPORT 40
The establishment of hunting reserves 40
Conclusion 43
Fulfilling the hunting instinct and hunting as a sport:
hunting tourism as a way out 43
Hungary 43
Turkey 44
Spain 44
Conclusion 46
European hunters and the Bird Directive 47
Conclusion 48

THE CONTRIBUTION OF HUNTING AND TRAPPING TO THE EXTER-
MINATION OF SPECIES 49
Conclusion 50
List of species that are declining in numbers or have
become extinct during the seventies of this century 52

THE SEARCH FOR NEW PRINCIPLES OF FAUNA MANAGEMENT 54
Conclusion 56