Agri-environment schemes and predator management: Impacts on brown hare populations in Hungarian farmland

Population densities of brown hare (Lepus europaeus) have declined over recent decades across Europe, largely driven by agricultural intensification and habitat homogenization. In response, Agri-Environment Schemes (AES) were introduced to mitigate biodiversity loss. This study evaluates the effectiveness of AES on brown hare populations across Hungary from 2007 to 2014, and the influence of vegetation quality and predator control (focused on red fox, Vulpes vulpes) on AES effectiveness. Using data from 482 wildlife management units (WMUs), we analyzed relationships between hare densities, AES land cover (arable and grassland), vegetation quality (proportion of preferred hare habitats), and fox reduction rates. Hare population estimates and harvest data were compared annually to a pre-AES baseline using linear mixed-effects models. We found consistent annual decline in hare densities regardless of vegetation quality. AES land cover was low (typically