Through its projects, the Wildlife Management team aims to address the question of how our society can manage wildlife sustainably. In principle, a wide range of animal groups may be considered, but the focus is primarily on birds and mammals. The underlying questions are all closely linked to on-the-ground management and are therefore largely demand-driven and policy-supporting.

The species studied and the management issues also always involve a strong interaction with one or more stakeholders. These stakeholders not only experience a direct impact but are also often a key operational link in management. Dialogue with these groups forms an important part of all projects and offers opportunities to carry out the research efficiently. The team therefore aims to activelyinvolve these groups in both the research into and the implementation of management, and to empower them in both areas.

The projects within the team broadly fall into three pillars:

1. Monitoring of species and their management

To assess the impact of management against specific objectives, good baseline data is required on both the impact and the management measures implemented. Much of this data is collected externally, but the INBO supports the collection and remains the primary point of contact for its processing and reporting. Examples include spring censuses and the culling of game, rodent catch data, roadkill figures, and the monitoring of populations of species that may cause nuisance.

2. Developing and evaluating new techniques

A significant proportion of the projects focuses on developing and optimising both management techniques and monitoring methods, as well as the associated data processing and dissemination.

3. Informing decision-making regarding management

To help resolve management issues, we are strongly committed to developing and supporting structured decision-making and adaptive management. To provide a scientific basis for this process, we are developing knowledge regarding the modelling of processes and/or populations.