Damages on wildlife habitat improvements in Macedonia and Thrace

The last decades the hunting demand was increased, while the reduction of available area for hunting and the degradation of habitats decreased the quality of hunting activity. In front of this problem, hunters finance in annual base wildlife habitat improvements (special crops, plantings, water reservoirs etc). However, habitat improvements suffer anthropogenic damages that deter their further application. With the help of questionnaire, the inventory of damages, the estimation of cost and the recording of confirmed or suspected (when well-founded suspicions exist) guilty was done. The total cost for habitat improvements was 574,845€ while the estimated cost of damages and thefts was 70,920€ (12.3%). The main guilties were the shepherds.