Crop damage requires two models, not one map of where wild boar go

A French two-stage study distinguishes animal visitation from damage once a field is visited.

Wild Lands Ecological Intelligence Editor
Wild Lands Institute · 27 October 2026

Evidence: Peer-reviewed
Geography: Agricultural parcels, France
System: Wild-boar crop use and agricultural damage risk

WHAT THE EVIDENCE SAYS

Chassagneux and colleagues separated parcel selection by wild boar from conditional crop-damage occurrence. Maize and legumes could be highly vulnerable to damage despite relatively low use intensity; meadows ranked low in both measures, while forest-edge proximity often increased use and damage.

WHY IT MATTERS / OUR READ

Prediction and mitigation should distinguish presence, exposure and consequence; counting animals on a property cannot by itself explain economic loss.

CAVEATS / UNCERTAINTY

Patterns are derived from a particular crop landscape and validation sample, and proposed transfer to other regions/species requires fresh tests.

SOURCE

Journal of Applied Ecology — Chassagneux et al. (23 Oct 2026)
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