Environmental drivers influencing the relative abundance of wild boar population in Russia

Abstract The examination of wild boar population dynamics plays a crucial role in enhancing our understanding of ecosystem functions and their ability to adapt to changing environmental conditions. Various habitat factors and interactions with other species animals significantly influence the abundance of wild boar populations. In this study, we applied predictive spatial models with a random effect to understand how environmental factors and the frequency of African swine fever outbreaks affect the relative abundance of the wild boar population. We considered different geographical conditions and methods of accounting abundance for animals in hunting farms of subjects of Russia. The number of the wild boar in model region was estimated using two methods, namely, using the method of accounting for traces in snow and noise running of animals. To assess the significance of each factor in the models and their interactions, we used a variation partition method. Our research revealed a close relationship between wild boar numbers and environmental parameters, including snow cover height and vegetation percentage. In addition, a correlation was found between the number of wild boar and the incidence rate of African swine fever virus outbreaks among these animals. However, this relationship was not as strong as the impact of environmental conditions. The integrated model used in this study demonstrated the significance of the environmental drivers considered for dynamic wild boar population abundance across various geographical conditions. This is crucial for developing wildlife management strategies, especially for wild boar, to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.