Rangeland use by the European hare (Lepus europaeus) in relation to short- and long- term non- grazing

Protection from grazing results in biomass accumulation and lower forage quality, which in the long-run adversely affects lower-seral wildlife species’ use. The effects of short-term (i.e. two years) and long-term (more than 15 years) protection from grazing by livestock, on the use of grasslands by the European hare (Lepus europaeus) were investigated in a typical Mediterranean grazing land, using the pellet count method. Hares used the grazed sites with a sparse herb layer more intensively than the short- and long- term ungrazed ones where a denser and higher plant structure occurs. The most striking effect was that even the two year protection from grazing was sufficient enough to reduce the hare’s grazing intensity to a level similar with that of sites ungrazed for more than 15 years. These findings confirm that vegetation characteristics play a prevailing role on the use of space by the hare. Furthermore, these findings guide new strategies both on hare conservation and multiple rangeland management, since grazing by small ruminants may function as an agent to create suitable habitats for the hare.