Adaptive harvesting of two trophic levels stabilises predator–prey dynamics. Simulations with Eurasian lynx and European roe deer

Europe has seen the recovery of many species of wild herbivores, which are now widespread across much of the continent. In addition, large carnivores are also recolonising many European countries. Most ungulates are managed through hunting, but natural predation can also have a significant influence in many areas. Therefore, the management of large herbivores must increasingly account for both hunting pressure and the impact of predation. Recent studies suggest that lynx predation can have a significant impact on roe deer population dynamics, both by targeting reproductive individuals and by exerting consistently high predation pressure across a wide range of prey densities. Here, we develop a two‐species predator–prey matrix population model that integrates lynx and roe deer through functional and numerical responses. We test a set of management rules, applied to both prey and predators, to examine whether joint hunting of both species can prevent prey declines and stabilise the population dynamics. Our simulations show that protecting (i.e. not hunting) either species increases the predator population, which in turn leads to a decline in the prey population. Hunting only the prey worsens their fate due to the addition of hunting and predation. However, simultaneous hunting of predators and prey, adaptively regulated through simple heuristics, does help prevent prey declines. We also show that the initial densities of the predator and prey population have significant impact on the outcome of the simulations. The importance of relative predator and prey population densities highlights the need for adaptive harvesting that monitors and adjusts to current predator and prey population levels.