The Return of Large Carnivores and Extensive Farming Systems: A Review of Stakeholders’ Perception at an EU Level

Franchini, Marcello; Corazzin, Mirco; Bovolenta, S.; Filacorda, Stefano

doi:10.3390/ani11061735

Cited by 15 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 84 publications

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“…Many populations of large carnivores are currently recovering and expanding their range due to persistent conservation efforts (Wabakken et al 2001 ; Chapron et al 2014 ; Gompper et al 2015 ; Martinez Cano et al 2016 ). During such recoveries, the interrelations with species in the existing community and with other recovering carnivores are often unknown, but can involve interspecies competition with detrimental impacts to some species, including human conflict (Gompper 2002 ; Thornton et al 2004 ; Kilgo et al 2010 ; Reddy et al 2019 ; Engebretsen et al 2021 ; Franchini et al 2021 ). Therefore, determining factors that mitigate competition and mechanisms for coexistence remain important in ecology and will support conservation management.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Niche partitioning and individual specialisation in resources and space use of sympatric fur seals at their range margin

Salton,

Raoult,

Jonsen

et al. 2024

Oecologia

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Ecological theory predicts niche partitioning between high-level predators living in sympatry as a mechanism to minimise the selective pressure of competition. Accordingly, male Australian fur seals Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus and New Zealand fur seals A. forsteri that live in sympatry should exhibit partitioning in their broad niches (in habitat and trophic dimensions) in order to coexist. However, at the northern end of their distributions in Australia, both are recolonising their historic range after a long absence due to over-exploitation, and their small population sizes suggest competition should be weak and may allow overlap in niche space. We found some niche overlap, yet clear partitioning in diet trophic level (δ15N values from vibrissae), spatial niche space (horizontal and vertical telemetry data) and circadian activity patterns (timing of dives) between males of each species, suggesting competition may remain an active driver of niche partitioning amongst individuals even in small, peripheral populations. Consistent with individual specialisation theory, broad niches of populations were associated with high levels of individual specialisation for both species, despite putative low competition. Specialists in isotopic space were not necessarily specialists in spatial niche space, further emphasising their diverse individual strategies for niche partitioning. Males of each species displayed distinct foraging modes, with Australian fur seals primarily benthic and New Zealand fur seals primarily epipelagic, though unexpectedly high individual specialisation for New Zealand fur seals might suggest marginal populations provide exceptions to the pattern generally observed amongst other fur seals.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Niche partitioning and individual specialisation in resources and space use of sympatric fur seals at their range margin

Salton,

Raoult,

Jonsen

et al. 2024

Oecologia

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“…During the carnival, people dress up as bears, not as wolves [ 18 ]. This difference is also common in situations where both species of large carnivores coincide with extensive sheep herds in Europe [ 19 , 20 , 21 ] and North America [ 22 ]. As both species are increasing in number and distribution in the Pyrenees, it must be considered that in Europe attitudes towards bears became more positive over time and became worse in the case of wolves the longer people coexisted with them [ 19 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shepherds View of Large Carnivore Recovery in the Pyrenees, Spain

Ballarín,

García-Serrano,

Herrero

et al. 2023

Animals

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The studied farms are small family businesses, and so, in more than half of the cases, their continuity is not guaranteed. Livestock management is typical of a mountain system, in which the animals graze throughout the year in cultivated fields, sown meadows, forests near the farms, and mountain pastures during the three summer months. The herds always have the constant surveillance of a shepherd. Farmers consider the current infrastructure present in mountain grasslands insufficient to facilitate the management and care of their herd. Their activity conflicts with various species of wildlife, such as the wild boar, Sus scrofa, roe deer, Capreolus capreolus, or griffon vulture, Gyps fulvus, and large carnivores such as the brown bear, Ursus arctos, or the grey wolf Canis lupus, despite all of them taking preventive measures to defend their herds from predators. The most widely used prevention measures are the presence of mastiff dogs, Canis lupus familiaris, next to the herds and the use of electric fencing to lock up livestock at night. Farmers reject the presence of bears and wolves in their area, considering it a real threat to the continuity of their economic activity, which presents a high degree of vulnerability.

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“…Human‐wildlife dimension studies have been receiving particular attention (especially in recent years) in Europe and North America (e.g. Thorn et al 2013, Smith et al 2014, Franchini et al 2021a), Latin America (e.g. Soto‐Shoender & Main 2013, Guerisoli et al 2017, 2021), and Asia (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interference competition driven by co‐occurrence with tigers Panthera tigris may increase livestock predation by leopards Panthera pardus: a first step meta‐analysis

Franchini,

Guerisoli

2023

Mammal Review

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In coexisting carnivorans (Carnivora) relying on the same food resources, the dominant species imposes a cost on the inferior competitor by limiting its foraging ability. Tigers Panthera tigris and leopards Panthera pardus live in sympatry in most Asian countries and, because of their similar trophic niche, ‘interference competition’ may exist between these two predators. In fact, since tigers generally occupy prime habitats, leopards could be forced to roam into peripheral areas that are heavily used by humans to avoid competition, consequently increasing the risk of human‐leopard conflicts. Using information collected from the reviewed scientific literature, the purposes of this work were: 1) to assess if livestock predation by leopards increases in areas of coexistence with tigers, and 2) to characterise leopard attacks on livestock to discern the main factors involved in the human‐leopard conflict. Our findings showed that the leopard's ‘overall’ livestock predation rate (i.e. individuals taken/year) was higher in the absence of tigers than in their presence, and the same was observed for the ‘sheep and goat’ predation rate. These results confirm the leopard's tendency to take livestock and, especially, smaller prey. Conversely, the ‘cattle’ and ‘other’ predation rates were higher in the presence of tigers than in their absence, suggesting the existence of a sort of spatial segregation between predators in certain contexts. Lower levels of predation by leopards were observed on farms in which more prevention measures were used, than in those in which only one measure was implemented. We stress the importance of using proper prevention measures to mitigate human‐leopard conflicts. However, because their implementation may not be easy or economically feasible, the financial support given by carnivoran‐policy makers assumes remarkable importance to minimise the economic impact on local families and, in turn, to foster the coexistence between leopards and humans in shared landscapes.

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The Return of Large Carnivores and Extensive Farming Systems: A Review of Stakeholders’ Perception at an EU Level

Cited by 15 publications

References 84 publications

Niche partitioning and individual specialisation in resources and space use of sympatric fur seals at their range margin

Niche partitioning and individual specialisation in resources and space use of sympatric fur seals at their range margin

Shepherds View of Large Carnivore Recovery in the Pyrenees, Spain

Interference competition driven by co‐occurrence with tigers Panthera tigris may increase livestock predation by leopards Panthera pardus: a first step meta‐analysis

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