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REVIEW article

Front. Ecol. Evol.
Sec. Conservation and Restoration Ecology
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fevo.2024.1452317

Black grouse (Lyrurus tetrix) population status, reasons for decline and potential conservation measures from Western and Central Europe to Fennoscandia: a literature review

Provisionally accepted
Lucie Hambálková Lucie Hambálková 1,2Jan Cukor Jan Cukor 1,2Kateřina Brynychová Kateřina Brynychová 1,3Richard Ševčík Richard Ševčík 1*Zdeněk Vacek Zdeněk Vacek 2Stanislav Vacek Stanislav Vacek 2Vlastimil Skoták Vlastimil Skoták 1Rostislav Linda Rostislav Linda 1Oddgeir Andersen Oddgeir Andersen 4
  • 1 Forestry and Game Management Research Institute, Prague, Czechia
  • 2 Department of Hunting and Forestry Zoology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czechia
  • 3 Department of Ecology, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Prague, Czechia
  • 4 Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Trondheim, Sør-Trøndelag, Norway

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The long-term decline of the black grouse population throughout Europe is influenced by many factors that affect populations differently depending on the distribution range, from Central Europe to the Scandinavian countries. Therefore, we analyzed available literature sources to describe the main reasons for the population decline of this species and to suggest conservation measures. In total, 228 pieces of literature from 1955 to 2024 were analyzed for this study.Based on the literature analysis, it is clear that the drivers of population decline differ across the distributional range. In Central Europe, where the population is declining rapidly, habitat loss and forest fragmentation are crucial factors, as is the negative impact of tourism. In Scandinavia, where the population is gradually declining, decreasing breeding success and increasing chick mortality rates are generally considered the main negative factors. However, these factors also affect black grouse populations in Central Europe. It is crucial to acknowledge that a significant proportion of the contributing factors, such as predation and habitat loss, can be attributed to human activities. Therefore, it is necessary to emphasize that environmental protection should work hand in hand with wildlife managers to improve the situation.

    Keywords: Tetraonidae, predation, nest success, Climate Change, Habitat Loss, biodiversity conservation

    Received: 20 Jun 2024; Accepted: 13 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Hambálková, Cukor, Brynychová, Ševčík, Vacek, Vacek, Skoták, Linda and Andersen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Richard Ševčík, Forestry and Game Management Research Institute, Prague, Czechia

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.