Implementing management objectives may be
challenging when decisions are made at different scales
than where they are supposed to be carried out. In this study we present a situation where local goose hunting
arrangements respond to objectives in an international
management plan for pink-footed geese (Anser
brachyrhynchus) and a local wish to reduce goose
numbers as means to reduce grazing damage on farmland.
A unique ten-year dataset provides an evaluation of the
efficiency of voluntary actions at a local scale for
implementing a policy of population control of geese, and
general lessons are drawn for collaboration and coproduction of knowledge for adaptive management. The
study demonstrates how both the hunters and geese adapt in
a situation where increasing the harvest of geese is the main objective. Introducing hunting-free days and safe foraging areas significantly increased goose numbers in the study area, with a corresponding increase in hunting success in terms of number of harvested geese. The geese’s
behavioural response to hunting also triggered the hunters
to adapt accordingly by optimal timing and placement in the landscape. Based on the results of the present study we suggest a framework for local implementation of
management actions. Bringing end-users on board,
facilitates processes and strengthens the achievements, as
they represent the actors where implementation occurs.
Specifically, our findings demonstrate how optimal goose
hunting can be practiced by the use of an adaptive
framework with active stakeholder participation.
Adaptive framework Geese Local engagement Management implementation Optimal hunting arrangements Recreational hunting
