The relationship between quotas and harvest in the alpine reindeer population on Hardangervidda, Norway

Abstract

AbstractHunting of cervids is commonly regulated by quotas that are specific to sex and age groups. There is substantial cultural variation in how quotas are regulated. In Scandinavia, the entire quotas are often not shot making deer management potentially less predictable. However, the effect of quota size and demographic composition on harvest offtake by recreational hunters has, to a limited extent, been empirically investigated in Scandinavia. Hunters are limited by time and opportunity and may not respond to changes in quota, as anticipated by managers. We analysed the variation in the proportion of quotas filled depending on quota size relative to population size and demographic composition of quotas during the period of 1986–2019 involving a population size varying from approximately 5000 to 15,000 reindeer on Hardangervidda, Norway. We found that the proportion of quota being filled by hunters varied substantially (12–48%) on an annual basis. The quota occasionally exceeded the estimated population size, but the proportion of the quota filled increased the higher the population size was relative to the quota size. The proportion of quota being filled by hunters was markedly lower for calf licences. High annual variation in the proportion of quota being filled by hunters causes considerable implementation uncertainty when managers aim to regulate cervid populations. Nevertheless, there was a strong correlation between quota size and harvest size. Facing new management requirements, a harvest rate of ~ 47% of the adult male population size was achieved in 2019, compared to an average of 16%. Hence, managers compensated for the low proportion of quota being filled by increasing quotas to reach target harvesting aims, but there remains a limit as to how precisely such a wide-ranging reindeer population can be regulated using recreational hunters.