Several decades ago, large areas of the Iberian Peninsula were planted with allochthonous tree species for timber production among other reasons. This severe habitat transformation is likely to affect a large spectrum of the biodiversity in the area. The wild boar Sus scrofa is a widely distributed large mammal, for which population density can be estimated on the basis of hunting results relative to effort in each area. Our goal was to analyze the influence of pine plantations on the relative density of this species in Southern Spain. Based on data obtained from hunts, we found that the relative density of wild boar was negatively related to the relative area covered by pine trees. Our results support a negative effect of pine plantations on wild boar density and indicate that restoration and conservation of native oak forests can favour not only biodiversity but also the maintenance of wild boar populations.
For the last few decades, many studies have analysed the important influence of environmental conditions on the breeding biology of ungulates. However, with reference to Mediterranean wild boar populations, there are hardly any studies. In this paper, we will research the effect of rainfall over eight years on some reproductive variables in a wild boar population located in a Mediterranean ecosystem. Our results indicated that the percentage of pregnant females was higher in rainy years than in dry ones and females over 2 years of age significantly increased their litter size in these rainy years. In addition, dry summers and autumns determined an early rut period and a high concentration of births. However, rainfall did not influence the foetal sex ratio, although we did observe that the sex of the heaviest piglet within each litter was predominantly male, this circumstance being more significant in dry years than in rainy ones. We believe that these results could be showing the wild boar’s survival strategy in the changeable environmental conditions of Mediterranean ecosystems.
Wild boar population structure was studied in two well-preserved forests of western Iberian Peninsula, one located in a typically Mediterranean zone (vegetation mainly holm oak Quercus ilex and various tall-shrubs species), and the other in a more Atlantic area (mainly oak Q. pyrenica but with abundant cork oak Q. suber in some places). Data were colleted during hunts in monterías’ area between the 1994/95 and 2000/2001 hunting seasons (October to February). 972 hunted wild boars were sexed and aged in the field, using growth patterns and tooth attrition. The mean age of hunted wild boars differed in the two zones. 2.11 years old in holm oak forest, and 1.78 years old in oak forest. This difference may result from shurb cover density and its effect on hunting dog, efficiency in rooting out wild boar. However, mean age was similar other zones of Europe. Proportionately more females were taken than males demonstrate the usefulness of Mediterranean hunting in contributing to management and conservation.