How much land is needed for feral pig hunting in Hawai'i?

Pacific Conservation Biology
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Abstract

Hunting is often considered to be incompatible with conservation of native biota and watershed functions in Hawai'i. Management actions for conservation generally exclude large non-native mammals from natural areas, thereby reducing the amount of land area available for hunting activities and the maintenance of sustainable game populations. An approach which may be useful in addressing the necessary minimum amount of land area allocated for hunting in Hawai'i is to determine the amount of land area necessary for sustaining populations of hunted animals to meet current levels harvested by the public. We ask: What is the total amount of land necessary to provide sustained-yield hunting of game meat for food at the current harvest level on Hawai'i Island if only feral pigs (Sus scrofa) were to be harvested? We used a simplistic analysis to estimate that 1 317.6 km2-1 651.4 km2 would be necessary to produce 187 333.6 kg of feral pig meat annually based on the range of dressed weight per whole pig, the proportion of a pig population that can be sustainably removed annually, and the density of pig populations in the wild. This amount of area comprises 12.6-15.8% of the total land area of Hawai'i Island, but more likely represents 27.6-43.5% of areas that may be compatible with sustained-yield hunting.

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Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title How much land is needed for feral pig hunting in Hawai'i?
Series title Pacific Conservation Biology
DOI 10.1071/PC140054
Volume 30
Issue 1
Year Published 2014
Language English
Publisher Surrey Beatty & Sons`
Publisher location Chipping Norton, N.S.W.
Contributing office(s) Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center
Description 3 p.
First page 54
Last page 56
Country United States
State Hawai'i
Online Only (Y/N) N
Additional Online Files (Y/N) N
Google Analytic Metrics Metrics page
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