Winter-spring habitat selection by brown hares ( Lepus europaeus ) in an area of north-western Italy

Environmental changes in agroecosystems since the 1960s have led to an overall reduction in biodiversity, with marked effects on species living in agricultural habitats. The brown hare has been affected by these effects, with marked population declines recorded across Europe. These declines appear to be due to agricultural mechanization, pesticide use, and a decline in habitat diversity. From January to July 2015, we studied brown hare habitat use by radio-tracking in an agricultural area of the western Po Valley characterized by a mosaic of arable land, small fallow fields, and hedgerows. Habitat use by hares was assessed at the home range (MCP 100%) level, for daytime resting sites and for nocturnal feeding activity. At the home range level, the results show a selection for alfalfa and permanent meadows, while resting sites were found to be located mainly in meadows and ploughed fields. Furthermore, the resting sites were characterised by a greater coverage of the shrub and herbaceous layer and by a greater height of the vegetation compared to the control points. Winter cereals and hay fields were selected for feeding. The results obtained in this work appear to be important for improving the management of hare populations in the Po Valley; in fact, the protected areas could be redesigned and redistributed following new environmental analyses, identifying the most productive areas based on the presence of the elements of the habitat selected by the hares.