LARGE CARNIVORES ARE RECOVERING IN EUROPE

Although the conservation of large carnivores is a major challenge for biodiversity conservation, a recent study has shown that protective legislation, supportive public opinion, and various practices scaffolding as much as possible the coexistence between large carnivores and people, can contribute for the preservation of these animals in humanized areas.

In this study published today by the prestigious journal Science, an international team of 76 researchers from 26 countries, which includes Francisco Álvares (CIBIO-InBIO) produced a distribution map for brown bears, Eurasian lynxes, gray wolves and wolverines in European countries, by combining data about the past and current status of these species.

The results obtained show that these animals are expanding their territory and increasingly occupying human-dominated landscapes. While in other parts of the world, as in North America, wild animals are usually found in Natural Parks and other areas destined for wildlife conservation, the European scenario reveals that humans and large predators can share the same landscape.

In an interview to the Portuguese online science dissemination platform “Ciência 2.0”, Francisco Álvares explains in more detail the depth and impact of these findings.

To read Francisco’s interview, please visit “Ciência 2.0”:

Lobo, lince e urso estão a expandir-se na Europa | ciência 2.0 | Dec 19, 2014

To access the original article, click here.