Abstract

Adaptive flyway management of superabundant geese is emerging as a strategy to reduce damage to agricultural crops and other ecosystem disservices, while also ensuring sustainable use and conservation objectives. Given the calls for intensified hunting as part of flyway management in Europe, we need to increase the understanding of structural, situational, and psychological factors important for goose hunting among hunters. Our survey data, retrieved in southern Sweden, showed a higher potential to intensify hunting among goose hunters than other hunters. In response to hypothetical policy instruments (including regulations, collaborative, and others), hunters declared a minor increase in their intention to hunt geese, with the greatest expected increase among goose hunters should the hunting season be extended. Situational factors (e.g., access to hunting grounds) were associated with goose hunting (frequency, bag size, and intention to increase hunting). In addition, controlled motivation (derived from external pressures or to avoid guilt) and more importantly autonomous motivation (due to hunting being enjoyable or valuable) were along with goose hunter identity positively associated with goose hunting. Hunters' involvement in flyway management may be encouraged by using policy instruments to remove situational barriers and facilitate their autonomous motivation.

Published in

Scientific Reports
2023, Volume: 13, number: 1
Publisher: NATURE PORTFOLIO

SLU Authors

• Månsson, Johan

  • Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Liljebäck, Niklas

  • Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Fish and Wildlife Management
Social Sciences Interdisciplinary


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-33846-0

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/122539