Woodland management for pheasants: economics and conservation effects.

Abstract

The work outlined in this paper has examined the habitat requirement of pheasants during winter and spring. The woodland features important in satisfying these requirements have been identified as being high woodland edge to area ratio, abundance of shrubby cover (especially along the woodland edges) and the provision of food. Other habitat types, in particular reed filled dykes, can also provide suitable overwintering and breeding sites for pheasants. Woodlands managed specifically with pheasants in mind not only benefit the pheasants themselves, but can also be important havens for other forms of declining wildlife. The pheasant and its associated management can be important in maintaining diversity in the countryside, especially in the face of more intensive agricultural systems, and hence can be seen as the financial incentive linking traditional management with conservation, shooting interest and rural productivity.