A vision for incorporating human mobility in the study of human–wildlife interactions

Ellis-Soto, Diego; Oliver, Ruth Y.; Brum-Bastos, Vanessa; Demšar, Urška; Jesmer, Brett; Long, Jed A.; Cagnacci, Francesca; Ossi, Federico; Queiroz, Nuno; Hindell, Mark; Kays, Roland; Loretto, Matthias-Claudio; Mueller, Thomas; Patchett, Robert; Sims, David W.; Tucker, Marlee A.; Ropert-Coudert, Yan; Rutz, Christian; Jetz, Walter

doi:10.1038/s41559-023-02125-6

Cited by 6 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 103 publications

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“…The effects of COVID-19 restrictions on human activities have been similar, but their impacts on wildlife vary. Constraints may therefore contribute to understanding human impacts on biodiversity in the Anthropocene [76]. As a result, many studies have examined the impact of the anthropause, or periods of restriction on human activity around the world.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mammal Roadkills in Lithuanian Urban Areas: A 15-Year Study

Balčiauskas,

Kučas,

Balčiauskienė

2023

Animals

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We investigated roadkills in urban areas in Lithuania from 2007 to 2022, including two periods with COVID-19 restrictions on people’s movement. We analyzed the proportions of wild and domestic animals in roadkill, annual trends, the predominant species involved, and monthly changes during the restrictions. Urban roads were characterized by a low species diversity of roadkilled mammals, with roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) dominating. Total numbers increased exponentially during the study period. The proportion of domestic animals, 12.2%, significantly exceeded that on non-urban roads in the country. The proportion of domestic animals decreased from over 40% in 2007–2009 to 3.7–5.4% in 2020–2022, while the proportion of wild mammals increased from 36.1–39.6% to 89.9–90.6%, respectively. During the periods of COVID-19 restrictions, the number of roadkills in urban areas was significantly higher than expected based on long-term trends. Compared to 2019, the number of roadkilled roe deer in 2020–2021 almost doubled from 700 to 1281–1325 individuals. These anthropause effects were, however, temporary. The imbalance between the roadkill number and transport intensity might require new mitigation strategies to sustain mammal populations in urban areas, at least through improving driver awareness on the issue.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mammal Roadkills in Lithuanian Urban Areas: A 15-Year Study

Balčiauskas,

Kučas,

Balčiauskienė

2023

Animals

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Assessing the Co‐Occurrence of European Pine Marten (Martes martes) With Humans and Domestic Cats on a Mediterranean Island

Manzo,

Iannarilli,

Dell'Agnello

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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Anthropogenic activities often lead to changes in the distribution and behavior of wild species. The mere presence of humans and free‐roaming domestic cats (Felis catus) can affect wildlife communities; however, responses to these disturbances might not be ubiquitous and may vary with local conditions. We investigated European pine marten's (Martes martes) distribution on Elba Island, Italy, where the species is the only wild carnivore. In this system, pine martens act as the top predator, and human presence is mostly driven by seasonal tourism. We evaluated (1) pine marten's occurrence in relation to vegetation type and elevation and the potential effects of proximity to settlements, (2) whether pine marten's distribution was associated with the co‐occurrence of humans and domestic cats, and, if so, (3) whether these co‐occurrence patterns were associated with proximity to anthropogenic infrastructures. Additionally, we explored similarities in activity patterns between pine marten and the other two species. We collected camera‐trap data at 77 locations throughout Elba Island in February–July 2020. Using single‐season multistate occupancy models, we found evidence that pine martens' occupancy was generally high across all vegetation types and elevation, and proximity to settlements was only weakly associated with the species occurrence. Contrary to expectations, we found no evidence of an association between pine martens' distribution and the presence of either humans or free‐roaming domestic cats on Elba Island. Opposing activity patterns might have facilitated pine martens' co‐existence with humans, with pine martens being active at ground level almost exclusively during nighttime. On the contrary, cats and pine martens showed similar activity patterns, and further studies are needed to define the co‐existence mechanisms. These findings have important management implications and suggest that response to direct and indirect anthropogenic pressures can be highly context‐dependent and mediated by the availability of resources and competition mechanisms.

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