Wolf attacks on cattle in Switzerland and Spain and a bear attack in Italy that killed a mountain runner show the seriousness of the problem. coexistence of large carnivores and humans. ETH Zurich researcher Paula Mayer participatory model To help facilitate coexistence between humans and large carnivores, using the example of the Apennine brown bear in Italy.
Coexistence with wildlife becomes one Main challenge in Europe as large carnivore populations recover in human-dominated landscapes. Modeling the spatial distribution of human-bear cohabitation conditions can help support conservation by identifying priority areas and measures to support coexistence.
The downside is that Current models generally only address risks to humans or large carnivores.
Study led by Paula Mayer develops a process participatory modeling which includes local population perceptions, expert assessments and spatial dataapplied to a case study of coexistence between humans and Apennine brown bears (Ursus arctos marsicanus) is in danger of extinction as only about 70 specimens remain.
“With better protection, educational work And measures to prevent damage “This population, sometimes caused by these animals, has survived and has even increased somewhat recently,” says biologist and communicator Peter Rüegg from the Federal Polytechnic School (ETH Zurich).
But bears still die pass over on the way or so poison baits Placed by truffle collectors for their opponent’s sniffer dogs. And people across this region have no sympathy for bears.
spread of misinformation
That’s why Paula Mayer came up with the idea to create one. model of coexistence between humans and bears Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise national park region and represent it on a map.
Existing data on bear habitats and land use, as well as local and expert knowledge, were integrated into a probabilistic model. Estimate and map bear tolerance from a human perspective And Risk of physical deconditioning for bears.
The map aims to help those concerned at the local level (authorities, conservationists, farmers and tourism professionals) identify areas and measures that need to be prioritized. to encourage coexistence between humans and bears.
“This project is an attempt to look at the landscape rationally and find out where and under what conditions humans and large carnivores successfully coexist and where not,” explains Mayer.
The researchers found that some municipalities had a generally positive attitude towards large carnivores, while others that were very close had a negative attitude. According to Mayer, this is essentially “Individual opinion leaders who spread false information“.
Coexistence also depends on whether the residents of a particular municipality are dependent on their agricultural products or whether they make a living through tourism or away from home. Tourism-based municipalities will also benefit from bearsWildlife tourism is booming in the Abruzzo national park.
Urban-rural conflict
the situation is different In rural municipalities, where the attitude towards bears is mostly negative, preventive protection measures are often lagging behind.. “If you only have ten sheep and a bear kills one of them, you will feel like your livelihood is threatened,” says Mayer, who believes the “big carnivore problem” is “the same everywhere.”
This is essentially aurban-rural conflict emotionally charged and full of many symbolism projected onto animals. However, this is more about interpersonal relationships and control issues; “Wild animals serve only a symbolic function,” he says.
The question to be clarified is what measures are necessary for successful coexistence between bears and humans. An important point that emerged in the negotiations is that Local people want damage compensation payments to be made faster and with less bureaucracy. Exactly the same as in Spain.
“Some people are outraged that they have never been compensated for the damage caused by the bears, despite the words of political leaders to the contrary,” Mayer said.
The map produced by Mayer and his team shows areas where human-bear coexistence works well. They are areas where the tolerance of humans is high and the living conditions of bears are good. But it also shows areas where conditions are worse.
The model can be adapted to other regions, other animal species and to add new information available. “Our approach can assist in the efficient adoption of measures to enhance the coexistence of humans and large carnivores in a site-specific manner.‘, disclose the authors of the study published in the ‘Journal of Nature Conservation’ of ‘Science Direct’.
Reference report: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1617138123000584
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