Effects of arboriculture stands on European hare Lepus europaeus spring habitat use in an agricultural area of northern Italy

Habitat changes due to agricultural intensification is widely considered a main cause of European hare (Lepus europaeus Pallas, 1778) decline. We investigated the potential of arboriculture stands to enhance landscape diversity and increase farmland suitability for European hares in an intensive agricultural area of northern Italy. In spring 2005, we recorded hare habitat use during feeding activity and resting time by nocturnal censuses and searching for daytime resting sites, respectively. Hare presence/absence, based on faecal pellets, was assessed in 150 1-m radius plots. Hares positively selected edges and avoided woods and stubble during both feeding activity and resting time, which highlights the key role of permanent linear cover in providing the variety of vegetation types required by hares for shelter and feed. Forms were typically located in covered places, surrounded by denser vegetation than sample plots, in order to gain protection from avian and terrestrial predators. Arboriculture stands seem to be able to satisfy a part of hare habitat requirement, thanks to ground flora that provide tasty food, and tree cover that offers refuge against predators and bad weather conditions. However, more focused studies are necessary to improve knowledge of the long-term effects of these crops on farmland biodiversity.