European Turtle Dove Population Trend in Greece Using Hunting Statistics of the Past 16-Year Period as Indices

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Hunting regulates the populations of hunted species. By collecting annual data of hunting activity, scientists may estimate the trend of the population numbers of these species. In Greece, the ARTEMIS project (named after the ancient Greek goddess Artemis (Diana)) is a statistical database of hunting characteristics, as revealed by questionnaires distributed to hunters. In the present research, these hunting statistics are used to determine the population trend of the European turtle dove in the country, an important species to Greek hunters. By using advanced statistical modeling, the research finds that for the period 2004/05–2019/20, the population trend of the European turtle dove in Greece is stable and its harvest sustainable. ABSTRACT: The European turtle dove is an important game bird for the hunters in Greece, which is one of a few European countries where its hunting is allowed. The sustainability of the species’ hunting in Europe is discussed during the last several years due to declines in its population, which forced IUCN to classify it as vulnerable. In Greece, its harvest takes place from 20 August and lasts as long as the presence of the species in the country (mid-October). The ARTEMIS project is a Greek statistical database of hunting characteristics, as revealed by questionnaires distributed to hunters. Statistical indicators such as hunting opportunity and hunting harvest are considered in the literature as reliable to show the population trend of a game species. Therefore, in the present research, hunting statistics are used to determine the population trend of the European turtle dove in Greece. State-space modeling was the main procedure used, a method which allows us to deal with errors that exist from hunting bag data or hunting opportunity data assuming that on average the under and overestimations will be equal. The results of the modeling analysis show a stable trend of the variables used, i.e., hunting opportunity, hunting harvest, and juveniles to adult’s ratio. Additionally, the hunting sustainability index showed that the sustainability of the species is improved annually, as a slight positive trend is revealed. This is in favor of the species, if it is considered that the actual percentage of the turtle dove population harvested is lower, since not all doves are encountered by hunters. It is concluded that for the period 2004/05–2019/20, as indicated by the hunting statistics, the population trend of the European turtle dove in Greece was stable and its harvest sustainable.