Sammendrag
A main challenge in harvest management is to set policies that maximize the probability
that management goals are met. While the management cycle includes multiple sources
of uncertainty, only some of these has received considerable attention. Currently, there
is a large gap in our knowledge about implemention of harvest regulations, and to
which extent indirect control methods such as harvest regulations are actually able to
regulate harvest in accordance with intendedmanagement objectives. In this perspective
article, we first summarize and discuss hunting regulations currently used inmanagement
of grouse species (Tetraonidae) in Europe and North America. Management models
suggested for grouse are most often based on proportional harvest or threshold harvest
principles. These models are all built on theoretical principles for sustainable harvesting,
and provide in the end an estimate on a total allowable catch. However, implementation
uncertainty is rarely examined in empirical or theoretical harvest studies, and few general
findings have been reported. Nevertheless, circumstantial evidence suggest that many
of the most popular regulations are acting depensatory so that harvest bag sizes
is more limited in years (or areas) where game density is high, contrary to general
recommendations. A better understanding of the implementation uncertainty related to
harvest regulations is crucial in order to establish sustainable management systems. We
suggest that scenario tools like Management System Evaluation (MSE) should be more
frequently used to examine robustness of currently applied harvest regulations to such
implementation uncertainty until more empirical evidence is available.game management, sustainable harvest, grouse, implementation, MSE-framework
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