Recovery of large carnivores in Europe’s modern human-dominated landscapes

Science, Journal Year: 2014, Volume and Issue: 346(6216), P. 1517 - 1519

Published: Dec. 19, 2014

The conservation of large carnivores is a formidable challenge for biodiversity conservation. Using data set on the past and current status brown bears ( Ursus arctos ), Eurasian lynx Lynx gray wolves Canis lupus wolverines Gulo gulo ) in European countries, we show that roughly one-third mainland Europe hosts at least one carnivore species, with stable or increasing abundance most cases 21st-century records. reasons this overall success include protective legislation, supportive public opinion, variety practices making coexistence between people possible. situation reveals can share same landscape.

Language: Английский

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Collapse of the world’s largest herbivores

Science Advances, Journal Year: 2015, Volume and Issue: 1(4)

Published: May 1, 2015

Large wild herbivores are crucial to ecosystems and human societies. We highlight the 74 largest terrestrial herbivore species on Earth (body mass ≥100 kg), threats they face, their important often overlooked ecosystem effects, conservation efforts needed save them predators from extinction. generally facing dramatic population declines range contractions, such that ~60% threatened with Nearly all in developing countries, where major include hunting, land-use change, resource depression by livestock. Loss of large can have cascading effects other including carnivores, scavengers, mesoherbivores, small mammals, ecological processes involving vegetation, hydrology, nutrient cycling, fire regimes. The rate decline suggests ever-larger swaths world will soon lack many vital services these animals provide, resulting enormous social costs.

Language: Английский

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Future threats to biodiversity and pathways to their prevention

Nature, Journal Year: 2017, Volume and Issue: 546(7656), P. 73 - 81

Published: May 30, 2017

Language: Английский

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Human–Wildlife Conflict and Coexistence

Annual Review of Environment and Resources, Journal Year: 2016, Volume and Issue: 41(1), P. 143 - 171

Published: Sept. 12, 2016

Human interactions with wildlife are a defining experience of human existence. These can be positive or negative. People compete for food and resources, have eradicated dangerous species; co-opted domesticated valuable applied wide range social, behavioral, technical approaches to reduce negative wildlife. This conflict has led the extinction reduction numerous species uncountable deaths economic losses. Recent advances in our understanding growing number conservation coexistence outcomes. I summarize synthesize factors that contribute conflict, mitigate encourage coexistence, emerging trends debates. Fertile areas scholarship include scale complexity, models scenarios, generalizable patterns, expanding boundaries what is considered using new tools technologies, information sharing collaboration, implications global change. The time may ripe identify field, anthrotherology, brings together scholars practitioners from different disciplinary perspectives address human–wildlife coexistence.

Language: Английский

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Bushmeat hunting and extinction risk to the world's mammals

Royal Society Open Science, Journal Year: 2016, Volume and Issue: 3(10), P. 160498 - 160498

Published: Oct. 1, 2016

Terrestrial mammals are experiencing a massive collapse in their population sizes and geographical ranges around the world, but many of drivers, patterns consequences this decline remain poorly understood. Here we provide an analysis showing that bushmeat hunting for mostly food medicinal products is driving global crisis whereby 301 terrestrial mammal species threatened with extinction. Nearly all these occur developing countries where major coexisting threats include deforestation, agricultural expansion, human encroachment competition livestock. The unrelenting suggests vital ecological socio-economic services will be lost, potentially changing ecosystems irrevocably. We discuss options current obstacles to achieving effective conservation, alongside failure stem such anthropogenic mammalian extirpation. propose multi-pronged conservation strategy help save from immediate extinction avoid security hundreds millions people.

Language: Английский

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Conservation’s blind spot: The case for conflict transformation in wildlife conservation

Biological Conservation, Journal Year: 2014, Volume and Issue: 178, P. 97 - 106

Published: Aug. 14, 2014

Unaddressed or poorly addressed conflicts present increasingly difficult obstacles to effective conservation and management of many wildlife species around the world. The material, visible manifestations such are often rooted in less visible, more complex social between people groups. Current efforts incorporate stakeholder engagement typically do not fully acknowledge address that lie beneath surface issues, nor they consistently create necessary conditions for productive transformation root causes conflict. Yet, ultimate level carrying capacity will depend on extent which can reconcile these conflicts, thereby increasing receptivity goals. To this end, conflict (CCT) offers a new perspective on, approach to, how conservationists identify, understand, prevent, Principles processes from peacebuilding field inform CCT offer useful guidance revealing addressing improve effectiveness efforts. Human-Wildlife Conflict Collaboration (HWCC) has adapted demonstrated principles application through building interventions, transforming practitioners In article, we discuss current limitations practice when conservation, define transformation, illustrate two analytical models orient reader benefits CCT, case studies where was applied usefully conservation-related

Language: Английский

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Fear of large carnivores causes a trophic cascade

Nature Communications, Journal Year: 2016, Volume and Issue: 7(1)

Published: Feb. 23, 2016

Abstract The fear large carnivores inspire, independent of their direct killing prey, may itself cause cascading effects down food webs potentially critical for conserving ecosystem function, particularly by affecting herbivores and mesocarnivores. However, the evidence this has been repeatedly challenged because it remains experimentally untested. Here we show that manipulating in free-living mesocarnivore (raccoon) populations using month-long playbacks carnivore vocalizations caused just such effects, reducing foraging to benefit mesocarnivore’s which turn affected a competitor prey prey. We further report restoring our study system, where most have extirpated, succeeded reversing impacts. suggest results reinforce need conserve given significant “ecosystem service” them provides.

Language: Английский

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Lion ( Panthera leo ) populations are declining rapidly across Africa, except in intensively managed areas

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Journal Year: 2015, Volume and Issue: 112(48), P. 14894 - 14899

Published: Oct. 26, 2015

Significance At a regional scale, lion populations in West, Central, and East Africa are likely to suffer projected 50% decline over the next two decades, whereas only increasing southern Africa. Many either now gone or expected disappear within few decades extent that intensively managed may soon supersede iconic savannah landscapes as most successful sites for conservation. The rapid disappearance of lions suggests major trophic downgrading African ecosystems with no longer playing pivotal role apex predator.

Language: Английский

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Managing conflict between large carnivores and livestock

Conservation Biology, Journal Year: 2017, Volume and Issue: 32(1), P. 26 - 34

Published: May 29, 2017

Abstract Large carnivores are persecuted globally because they threaten human industries and livelihoods. How this conflict is managed has consequences for the conservation of large biodiversity more broadly. Mitigating human–predator should be evidence‐based accommodate people's values while protecting carnivores. Despite much research into large‐carnivore coexistence strategies, there have been few attempts to document success conflict‐mitigation strategies on a global scale. We conducted meta‐analysis mitigation related humans. focused conflicts that arise from threat pose livestock. first used structured unstructured searching identify replicated studies before–after or control–impact design measure change in livestock loss as result implementing management intervention. then extracted relevant data these calculate an overall effect size each intervention type. Research effort focus varied among continents aligned with histories cultures shaped production attitudes toward Livestock guardian animals most effectively reduced losses. Lethal control was second effective control, although its most, lethal did not differ significantly. Financial incentives promoted tolerance some settings retaliatory killings. suggest location‐specific, incorporate cultural environmental conditions, designed such return financial investment can evaluated. Improved monitoring measures urgently required promote policy.

Language: Английский

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Cross-boundary human impacts compromise the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem

Science, Journal Year: 2019, Volume and Issue: 363(6434), P. 1424 - 1428

Published: March 28, 2019

Protected areas provide major benefits for humans in the form of ecosystem services, but landscape degradation by human activity at their edges may compromise ecological functioning. Using multiple lines evidence from 40 years research Serengeti-Mara ecosystem, we find that such edge has effectively "squeezed" wildlife into core protected area and altered ecosystem's dynamics even within this 40,000-square-kilometer ecosystem. This spatial cascade reduced resilience was mediated movement grazers, which grass fuel fires, weakened capacity soils to sequester nutrients carbon, decreased responsiveness primary production rainfall. Similar effects other ecosystems worldwide require rethinking natural resource management outside areas.

Language: Английский

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