Current situation of leisure hunting and wetland management in Rio Grande do Sul State, South Brazil

Abstract

Leisure hunting is a traditional activity in many western countries, including Brazil, where it has a legal frame in only one State – Rio Grande do Sul. Due to the ongoing process of habitat loss and degradation, the management of private lands for wildlife and other alternative conservation strategies can be important elements in a system of biodiversity conservation. In Rio Grande do Sul, landowners and hunters manage rice fields and seminatural wetlands for hunting purposes, whose contribution for the protection of wetlands and wetland species has not yet been evaluated. In this paper we (1) describe the main management actions in agricultural lands of the Coastal Zone of Rio Grande do Sul for duck hunting purposes; (2) characterise the semi-natural areas selected by hunters; and (3) analyse the trends of hunting participation on the State. Rice fields were selected as hunting areas by 70% of hunters and semi-natural wetlands by 65% and these proportions didn’t change between 2002 and previous years (?2 = 1,723; p>0,5). About 27% of the hunting areas are managed to attract waterbirds. The most frequent practices are water level regulation (N=48), supplementary feeding/baiting (N=37) and control against illegal hunters (N=10). Land leasing or informal agreements were practised by 12% of hunters in order to guarantee and control access to private lands. Semi-natural areas selected by hunters have greater richness and abundance of game waterbirds than non-hunted areas. The number of hunters declined 93.5% between 1974 and 2005. In the same period, the number of species allowed for hunting and the weekly bag limits also decreased steadily. The predisposition for the management of private lands both by hunters and landowners can be an opportunity to foster the capacity of agricultural landscapes to protect wetlands and wetland biodiversity, reducing the conflicts with economic and leisure activities. Otherwise, the declining trend in hunting participation suggests that less private areas are been managed for waterbirds. Novel strategies are needed to foster the conservation of wetlands and wetland species outside the system of protected areas and a sound leisure hunting system can help on this task.

Key words: recreational hunting, wetland birds, anatidae, management, marshes, natural renewable resources.