Elgen i Finnmark - områdebruk og forvaltning i et landskap i endring
During the last decades has parts of Finnmark in northernmost Norway been heavily attacked by geometrid moths, severely reducing both deciduous forests, shrubs and herbs. While moose and semi-domestic reindeer with spatial overlapping space use may be interspecific competitors, also moths may act an as severe competitor to the two large herbivores. While reindeer seem to avoid areas influenced by moths, less is known about how moth outbreaks influence habitat choice and population dynamics of other herbivores such as the moose. Moose represent an important ecosystem service in Finnmark, as about 800 moose are harvested annually. Precise game management requires knowledge about population dynamics, pasture conditions and spatial ecology. Moose in northern ecosystems may disperse or migrate widely in its search for suitable browsing habitats, but little is known about space use patterns (i.e. spatial ecology) in general under sub-arctic conditions and in special under such rapid vegetation changes as the moth outbreak has caused. This project aims to increase knowledge about space use in general important for management, as well as specific knowledge of habitat use and resource selection moose in Finnmark based on modern bio-telemetric methods.