Influence of wild boar on the biodiversity of dry grasslands

Although Berlin has a very high wild boar population, there is a considerable lack of knowledge about the possible consequences of wild boar activities on habitats and their biodiversity. Dry grasslands in forests or their surroundings are also frequently visited by wild boars. The aim of this project is to find out what long-term effects wild boars have on dry grasslands, which are valuable for nature conservation, and on the plant and animal species found there. To this end, wild boar activity is quantified on 22 study plots, the occurrence of plants and other target species of nature conservation (grasshoppers, sand lizards) is analysed and the results are compared with historical data. The following research questions will be answered:

- What are the short and long-term effects of different intensities of wild boar activity on different species groups in dry grasslands?     

- How do plant and animal communities develop in the long term after extreme wild boar-induced disturbance events and what conclusions can be drawn regarding the habitat quality for wild animals?

- Are the effects of wild boar as wildlife damage to be considered and what conclusions can be drawn for hunting measures?

Duration: 07/2019 to 06/2021

Funding: Grant from funds of the Jagdabgabe by the Stiftung Naturschutz Berlin

Team: Valentin Cabon, Dr Sascha Buchholz, Dr Moritz von der Lippe, Prof. Dr Ingo Kowarik

Project management: Dr. Sascha Buchholz, Dr. Moritz von der Lippe, Prof. Dr. Ingo Kowarik