In this article, we present the results of the first systematic surveys of golden jackal in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H). The population status and distribution of the golden jackal (Canis aureus) in B&H was largely unknown, and the few existing literature records mention their presence at only five localities in the country. We interviewed managers of all the hunting grounds in B&H and reviewed available jackal hunting records from 2000 to 2016. In total, we collected 212 records of legally harvested jackals. We observed an increasing trend of harvested jackals in B&H (on average 35% annual increase) during this same period. Using acoustic (play-back) method, we confirmed the presence of 80 territorial jackal groups along six transects covering 3081 km². We estimated density to be a minimum of 0.33 groups/10 km² in northern B&H and 0.10 groups/10 km² in central B&H. Jackal groups were located at significantly lower altitudes in respect to available area along the transects. We present a distribution map of confirmed jackal occurrences in B&H, which indicates that the core area of jackal distribution in the country is currently located along the Sava River and its tributaries in the northern part of B&H. Jackals are sporadically present in the rest of the country, where grey wolves (Canis lupus) probably limit their presence. In total, jackal presence has been detected in 19% (109 out of 586) of 10x10 km grid cells covering the country. The primary factor driving expanding population of jackals in northern B&H appears to be immigration of jackals from Croatia and Serbia.

Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber Linnaeus, 1758) is a semiaquatic mammal which inhabits suitable habitats which are represented by watercourses, water surfaces and their watersides covered by rich vegetation of woody and herbaceous species. Many paleontological data and archaeological sites indicate the continued presence of beavers in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also in the region (Ćirović et al., 2007 AbstractBeaver is a semiaquatic mammal which inhabits suitable watercourses and water surfaces covered by rich vegetation of woody and herbaceous species. In the past, it inhabited large areas from south to the north European mainland, but in the early XX century, there were only six isolated autochthonous populations left. The reason that led to the complete extinction of Eurasian beaver in Bosnia and Herzegovina is the same as in Europe -excessive hunting.Thanks to the actions of the beaver reintroduction to former habitats across Europe at the beginning of the XXI century, the beaver is again spread over a wider area. In Bosnia and Herzegovina beavers were reintroduced in 2005 and 2006, thus making it the 26th country that has helped to increase the number of beavers. With the reintroduction of the beaver on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina, it became protected species.In the period from 2009 to 2016 a total of 964 records about the presence of beavers was collected. Currently on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina there are at least 43 registered families and eight individuals (singles). Having in mind that on average three individuals per family were registered, the real abundance of beaver in Bosnia and Herzegovina could be approximately 140 individuals.

Biotic interactions are expected to influence species' responses to climate change, but they are usually not included when predicting future range shifts. We assessed the importance of biotic interactions to understand future consequences of climate and land use change for biodiversity using as a model system the brown bear (Ursus arctos) in Europe. By including biotic interactions using the spatial variation of energy contribution and habitat models of each food species, we showed that the use of biotic factors considerably improves our understanding of the distribution of brown bears. Predicted future range shifts, which included changes in the distribution of food species, varied greatly when considering various scenarios of change in biotic factors, warning about future indirect climate change effects. Our study confirmed that advancing our understanding of ecological networks of species interactions will improve future scenarios of biodiversity change, which is key for conserving biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Ovaj rad predstavlja novi korak u razumijevanju stvarnog stanja populacije mrkog medvjeda (Ursus arctos)koji nastanjuje područja Republike Srpske (RS). Rezultati dobijeni anketiranjem 38 od 42 (91%) organizacijekoje upravljaju medvjedima u RS (lovačke organizacije, šumska gazdinstva i nacionalni parkovi)služe kao osnova za razvoj boljeg upravljanja i zaštite vrste. Anketirani ispitanici imali su veoma visokoopšte mišljenje o medvjedima, što je ocijenjeno prosječnom ocjenom 4,6 (od 1 − vrlo loše do 5 − odlično).Većina ispitanika (74%) nije bila sigurna koji je stvarni broj medvjeda u RS. Nedostatak implementacijeCITES-a u RS prepoznat je kao važna potreba za promjenom postojećeg zakonodavstva (65% mišljenja).U 79% lovišta su zabilježene štete od medvjeda, najčešće na stoci (40%) i pčelinjacima (37%). Prisutnostmedvjeda s problematičnim ponašanjem u RS prijavilo je 50% ispitanika, a to je manifestovano kroz stalnopojavljivanje šteta (58% ispitanika), napade na ljude (11%) i kretanju kroz naseljena područja bez strahaod ljudi (11%). 74% ispitanika smatralo je da je trajno uklanjanje problematičnih jedinki najdjelotvornijerješenje. Krivolov je identifikovan kao jedna od najvećih prijetnji i prijavljen je u 61% lovišta, a 81% ispitanikasmatra da je stopa krivolova na području RS visoka (47%) i srednje visoka (34%). Uzimajući u obzirsve odgovore, predlažemo hitno stvaranje plana upravljanja mrkim medvjedom, jer bi se time mogli riješitibrojni problemi, pitanja i sumnje u pogledu upravljanja i boljeg suživota s ovom vrstom u RS.

This paper represents the first report on the presence of a cardiorespiratory nematodes in the gray wolf from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The heart and lungs with corresponding trachea from wolves that were legally hunted from 2009 to 2019 have been analysed by routine post mortem macroscopical examination. A total of 25 heart samples were examined for the presence of Dirofilaria immitis and Angiostrongylus vasorum, while five lungs with trachea samples were examined for the presence of lung nematodes. There was no confirmed presence of Dirofilaria immitis and Angiostrongylus vasorum, while the presence of species Eucoleus aerophilus was established in one case (20%). This study confirms that the gray wolf is a source of infection with Eucoleus aerophilus to other natural hosts.