Editorial (wileyonlinelibrary.com) DOI 10.1002/ps.3939
Vertebrate pest management: diverse solutions for diverse problems Despite decades upon decades of active development and innovation in management methodology, vertebrate species continue to impose grave risks to human welfare worldwide. Vertebrates are major pests in various sectors of agriculture, silviculture and public health, as well as significant actors in numerous human-wildlife conflicts, including those related to nature conservation. Science, in particular applied biological science, is increasingly employed towards the prevention and mitigation of these impacts. This In Focus section of Pest Management Science draws together research highlights from the 9th European Vertebrate Pest Management Conference (EVPMC9), held in Turku, Finland in September 2013. The conference, organized by the Finnish Forest Research Institute and the University of Turku, hosted 129 participants from 30 countries. A considerable proportion of the presented research was carried out outside Europe. Symposia were organized under the following titles: Agricultural pest management, Silvicultural pest management, Urban pest management, Ecologically based pest management, Chemical control – methods and alternatives, Invasive vertebrate pests, Zoonoses and parasites, and Human-animal social conflicts. The four contributions in the In Focus section of this issue of Pest Management Science are all original contributions first presented in the congress. They are good examples of the diversity of problems pest management needs to deal with: from forecasting damage to eradicating invasive species. All four studies use science to provide help for practitioners in preventing or solving the problem and in monitoring the success of the work done. Imholt et al. model how the population outbreaks of the bank vole (Myodes glareolus) are predicted to change in future climate scenarios1 . They use long time series and find key weather parameters predicting fluctuations in vole abundance. Their models predict an increase in the frequency of vole outbreaks in the future, which helps in developing long-term management plans. Bregnballe et al. studied the effectiveness of shooting in reducing the numbers of great cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo) in Danish fjords in the autumn2 . They found that random shooting along the shorelines had no detectable effect on the number of birds in the area, whereas intensive shooting close to the main roosting sites induced the birds to leave the area. These results help in targeting disturbance to sites where it is effective and in avoiding unnecessary work and killing where it is not useful. Wiid and Butler report the use and success of several control methods when trying to control an abundant rock hyrax (Procavia
capensis) population in a South African residential area where culling could not be used3 . The preliminary results suggest that both relocation and introducing a natural predator reduced the number of rock hyraxes. Ruffino et al. report a successful eradication of invasive black rats (Rattus rattus) and mat-forming iceplants (Carbobrotus spp.) from a 58 ha island on the French coast. It was planned ahead that both eradications would be done simultaneously, as the black rats eat the fruits of the iceplant and in this way facilitate the dispersal and germinations of the seeds. The results are thus far very promising, but similar to the other studies above, further monitoring is needed to ensure a successful end for the project. Vertebrate pest management is veering towards ecologically sustainable practices and methods – a trend clearly visible amongst the aforementioned articles as well as all other presentations of EVPMC9. The abstract book of the conference can be downloaded at: http://www.metla.fi/julkaisut/isbn/ 978-951-40-2433-7/evpmc9.pdf. O. Huitu Finnish Forest Research Institute, Juntintie 154; FI-77600; Suonenjoki E-mail: otso.huitu@metla.fi T. Laaksonen Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, FI-20014; University of Turku E-mail: toni.laaksonen@utu.fi
REFERENCES 1 Imholt C et al. Quantifying the past and future impact of climate on outbreak patterns of bank voles (Myodes glareolus). Pest Manag Sci 71:166–172 (2015). 2 Bregnballe T, et al. What does three years of hunting Great Cormorants Phalacrocorax carbo tell us: shooting autumn-staging birds as a means of reducing numbers locally. Pest Manag Sci 71:173–179 (2015). 3 Wild RE and Butler HJB, Population management of Rock Hyraxes (Procavia capensis) in residential areas. Pest Manag Sci 71:180–188 (2015). 4 Ruffino L, et al. Eradications as scientific experiments: progress in simultaneous eradications of two major invasive taxa from a Mediterranean island. Pest Manag Sci 71:189–198 (2015).
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Pest Manag Sci 2015; 71: 165
www.soci.org
© 2015 Society of Chemical Industry
Vertebrate pest management: diverse solutions for diverse problems Despite decades upon decades of active development and innovation in management methodology, vertebrate species continue to impose grave risks to human welfare worldwide. Vertebrates are major pests in various sectors of agriculture, silviculture and public health, as well as significant actors in numerous human-wildlife conflicts, including those related to nature conservation. Science, in particular applied biological science, is increasingly employed towards the prevention and mitigation of these impacts. This In Focus section of Pest Management Science draws together research highlights from the 9th European Vertebrate Pest Management Conference (EVPMC9), held in Turku, Finland in September 2013. The conference, organized by the Finnish Forest Research Institute and the University of Turku, hosted 129 participants from 30 countries. A considerable proportion of the presented research was carried out outside Europe. Symposia were organized under the following titles: Agricultural pest management, Silvicultural pest management, Urban pest management, Ecologically based pest management, Chemical control – methods and alternatives, Invasive vertebrate pests, Zoonoses and parasites, and Human-animal social conflicts. The four contributions in the In Focus section of this issue of Pest Management Science are all original contributions first presented in the congress. They are good examples of the diversity of problems pest management needs to deal with: from forecasting damage to eradicating invasive species. All four studies use science to provide help for practitioners in preventing or solving the problem and in monitoring the success of the work done. Imholt et al. model how the population outbreaks of the bank vole (Myodes glareolus) are predicted to change in future climate scenarios1 . They use long time series and find key weather parameters predicting fluctuations in vole abundance. Their models predict an increase in the frequency of vole outbreaks in the future, which helps in developing long-term management plans. Bregnballe et al. studied the effectiveness of shooting in reducing the numbers of great cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo) in Danish fjords in the autumn2 . They found that random shooting along the shorelines had no detectable effect on the number of birds in the area, whereas intensive shooting close to the main roosting sites induced the birds to leave the area. These results help in targeting disturbance to sites where it is effective and in avoiding unnecessary work and killing where it is not useful. Wiid and Butler report the use and success of several control methods when trying to control an abundant rock hyrax (Procavia
capensis) population in a South African residential area where culling could not be used3 . The preliminary results suggest that both relocation and introducing a natural predator reduced the number of rock hyraxes. Ruffino et al. report a successful eradication of invasive black rats (Rattus rattus) and mat-forming iceplants (Carbobrotus spp.) from a 58 ha island on the French coast. It was planned ahead that both eradications would be done simultaneously, as the black rats eat the fruits of the iceplant and in this way facilitate the dispersal and germinations of the seeds. The results are thus far very promising, but similar to the other studies above, further monitoring is needed to ensure a successful end for the project. Vertebrate pest management is veering towards ecologically sustainable practices and methods – a trend clearly visible amongst the aforementioned articles as well as all other presentations of EVPMC9. The abstract book of the conference can be downloaded at: http://www.metla.fi/julkaisut/isbn/ 978-951-40-2433-7/evpmc9.pdf. O. Huitu Finnish Forest Research Institute, Juntintie 154; FI-77600; Suonenjoki E-mail: otso.huitu@metla.fi T. Laaksonen Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, FI-20014; University of Turku E-mail: toni.laaksonen@utu.fi
REFERENCES 1 Imholt C et al. Quantifying the past and future impact of climate on outbreak patterns of bank voles (Myodes glareolus). Pest Manag Sci 71:166–172 (2015). 2 Bregnballe T, et al. What does three years of hunting Great Cormorants Phalacrocorax carbo tell us: shooting autumn-staging birds as a means of reducing numbers locally. Pest Manag Sci 71:173–179 (2015). 3 Wild RE and Butler HJB, Population management of Rock Hyraxes (Procavia capensis) in residential areas. Pest Manag Sci 71:180–188 (2015). 4 Ruffino L, et al. Eradications as scientific experiments: progress in simultaneous eradications of two major invasive taxa from a Mediterranean island. Pest Manag Sci 71:189–198 (2015).
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Pest Manag Sci 2015; 71: 165
www.soci.org
© 2015 Society of Chemical Industry
