TRADITIONAL MANAGEMENT OF SCRUBLAND FOR THE CONSERVATION OF RABBITS ORYCTOLAGUS-CUNICULUS AND THEIR PREDATORS IN DONANA-NATIONAL-PARK, SPAIN

Several endangered carnivores and raptors in Mediterranean Spain are v ery dependent on rabbits Oryctolagus cuniculus, which have shown a pro gressive decline in abundance for several decades. Land use neglect, a nd the consequent abandonment of traditional land use methods such as burning, is considered one of the factors responsible for this decreas e. To examine this hypothesis we have compared rabbit use of experimen tally burned and un-burned scrubland areas. Rabbit activity was found to be significantly higher in burned areas, with the greatest use in l ess productive habitats in close proximity to scrub cover. The promoti on of traditional land practices for nature conservation in the natura l ecosystems of the Mediterranean Basin is discussed.