Opportunities and challenges with growing wildlife populations and zoonotic diseases in Sweden

Abstract

In many parts of Europe and North America, populations of large mammals and birds have recovered during recent decades. In Sweden, this has resulted in more wildlife than was historically recorded. This positive development provides a number of opportunities for ecosystem services and for biodiversity. More wildlife also means more interactions with humans, as many birds and mammals may interfere with human interests in the landscape, such as natural resource use. Thus, more wildlife may shift the baseline for societal perception of wildlife. Wildlife species may host pathogens with potential for infecting humans and domestic animals. With increasing knowledge about zoonotic diseases and their dynamics, more scientific, media, and public attention is given to zoonotic processes. We are concerned with how the public image of the wild animals is affected, because many of the recent zoonotic outbreaks connect animal groups to diseases such as avian and swine influenza, lyme disease, and tickborne encephalitis. The societal focus on zoonotic diseases may increase the fear of the wild and will separate the public further from the outdoors in general and wildlife in particular. Ultimately, we risk a juxtaposition of the overall acceptance of biological diversity and a shifting societal perception of wildlife that could be harmful for life on earth. We therefore suggest multidisciplinary research on societal awareness of zoonotic diseases and its implications for public acceptance for wildlife and biological diversity.

Potential disease transmission from wild geese and swans to livestock, poultry and humans: a review of the scientific literature from a One Health perspective

“…Transmission of pathogens from livestock, poultry or humans to geese and swans Disease transmission between wild birds and livestock and humans is often seen as a one-directional pathway, but in reality it is bi-directional. [161,164] One obvious and well-documented example is when geese share water or pasture with livestock and poultry, and pick up pathogens from these domestic animals. [143,157] Furthermore, sewage works ponds, which may harbour high numbers of human pathogens, often attract wild waterfowl.…”

The Role of Rewilding in Landscape Design for Conservation

“…Actual or potential human-wildlife conflicts, or perceptions of such a risk, are another big issue, particularly in North America, but increasingly in Europe as populations of large, potentially dangerous vertebrates recover [4,[52][53][54]. Sweden probably has more large vertebrates today than at any time in the last 500 years and possibly much longer [55]. Wolves threaten domesticated livestock throughout their range [53] and large herbivores, such as the European bison, damage farm crops [56].…”

“…Megaherbivores such as elephants are particularly dangerous and damaging, as farmers in Africa and Asia know from experience [57]. Increased interactions between wildlife and humans and domestic animals may also lead to disease transmission, or at least perceptions that this is a risk [55]. In seasonally dry climates, increased fire risk is an additional hazard, particularly in the early stages of biomass recovery [16].…”

How stakeholder representatives cope with collaboration in the Swedish moose management system

“…In central regions of Sweden, predation by the large carnivores, brown bear (Ursus arctos), gray wolf (Canis lupus) and lynx (Lynx lynx), has to be considered when hunting quotas of moose are set annually (Danell & Bergström, 2010). In addition, climate change is projected to have effects on the distribution range of wildlife, the health of wildlife, as well increasing the risk of diseases that are transmissible between animals and humans (zoonotic diseases), such as Lyme disease (Thulin, Malmsten, & Ericsson, 2015). Ecological changes and social factors, such as variation in land ownership and land use, may have major implications for the collaborative governance regime of moose.…”