Habitat composition mediates the association between game management and European turtle dove (Streptopelia turtur) density in Iberian agroforestry landscapes

In countries belonging to the European turtle dove ( Streptopelia turtur ) western-flyway, a substantial proportion of hunting grounds implement habitat measures that may benefit the species, but no research has addressed whether these measures area associated with higher densities. The possible associations between turtle dove density and habitat measures were evaluated in 45 hunting grounds of Spain (mainly in south-western Iberia) in 2020, using a detailed game management questionnaire to categorize the main measures, in addition to characterizing the habitat composition within 250-m- radius buffers from turtle dove presences. Most grounds (67.6%) provided food or water, 42.4% implemented forest measures and 46.1% agricultural ones, and 63.3% managed ponds. The predominant habitat types in the presence buffers were dehesa (an agroforestry system, 41.9%), arable land (24.8%) and forest (13.8%). Turtle dove density was positively associated to heterogeneous habitats comprising dehesa , arable land and forest, whereas associations with habitat measures were context-dependent: agricultural measures were positively associated to turtle dove density in hunting grounds dominated by forest habitats, whil forest measures (thinning and clearing) were positively associated to turtle dove densities in grounds dominated by farmed and grassland habitats. Attempts to favour the association between turtle dove density and habitat management should consider the habitat types, and rather than relying on water and food provision, efforts should prioritize land interventions such as agricultural and forest measures, especially in areas with sub-optimal habitats. Although the observational design precludes causal inference, the ecological patterns identified here provide a valuable framework for designing and testing adaptive habitat management for the conservation of the species.