Assessment of Feeding Preferences of Wild Animals in Forage Resources

In many areas excessive presence of wild ungulates can produce negative effects on herbaceous crops or woody species. To face this problem, habitat improvements are often required in order to recreate suitable environments to a particular species and to attract animals away from cultivated crops in specific periods. A common example of these interventions is represented by grassland restoration, often necessary for the reduction of open areas in many European territories due to the reduction of grazing activity. To assess wild animals feeding preferences and to monitor animal intake on different kind of forage crops, a specific research was carried out in 2015 in an area of Central Italy. Results showed the importance of sown species that performed a major role in wild animals’ intake, even if in some periods also a few native species (such as Plantago lanceolata or Cichorium intyibus) were utilized in a strong way, depending by vegetation context and existing biomass.