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Rewilding Europe
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White-tailed sea eagles released into the wild in Munster
FOUR WHITE-TAILED sea eagles were released into the wild in Munster yesterday, with another six to follow later in the month. The eagles were released by the National Parks and Wildlife Service as part of a project to increase their breeding population in Ireland, which already exists in small numbers. The four birds were released yesterday at Lough Derg in Co Tipperary. Two more are due to be released at the same site later this month, while four will be released near the Shannon estuary. The young eagles were flown in from Norway in June, where they had been collected from nests in the wild. They have been held for six to eight weeks in purpose-built flight cages at Lough Derg and the Shannon Estuary. Minister for Heritage Malcolm Noonan said that “while 2020 has been a difficult year for the human population, the year has seen some landmark developments for Ireland’s small population of the once extinct White-tailed Sea Eagle”. “These are our largest birds of prey and one of the most impressive birds in the world,” Noonan said. Project manager at the Golden Eagle Trust Dr Allan Mee said that the release of the bids would “be critical in helping bolster the existing population and form the basis of a viable self-sustaining Irish population”. Dr Mee said that Ireland could be home to 10 or more breeding pairs over the next few years. Between 2007 and 2011, 100 young white-tailed sea eagles were released in Killarney National Park in Co Kerry. The birds were later dispersed throughout Ireland, with breeding first taking place in 2012 on Lough Derg in Co Clare. hirty-one chicks have been fledged from a small breeding population of 8-10 pairs since their initial introduction. A female bred in Clare in 2015 has now produced chicks of her own, marking the first Irish-bred white-tailed sea eagle. “In addition to ten new chicks arriving from Norway, it is marvellous that our small indigenous breeding population has reached a new milestone in 2020 with the first Irish bred White-tailed Eagle successfully fledging her own young,” Noonan said. “The two chicks hatched at a nest on Lough Derg, Co Tipperary to a female who was herself was reared at a nest also on Lough Derg, near Mountshannon, Co. Clare in 2015.” “Against the backdrop of concerns for species extinctions globally this is a remarkable example of hands on conservation in action and these events mark important milestones for this long-term conservation project to restore this iconic species to Ireland,” he said. The release of the birds came under the Irish White-Tailed Sea Eagle Reintroduction Programme, which is a long-term initiative to reestablish the species’ population in the Republic of Ireland. 
"A herd of 20 Tauros has just been released on the Lika Plains in the Velebit Mountains in Croatia! ? ⠀
⠀ The newly arrived animals will acclimatise in an enclosure in the coming weeks and then join around 120 Tauros that are already in the area as a result of previous releases. ⠀ ⠀ The Tauros are bred through the Tauros Programme (@stichting_taurus) and will be able to perform a crucial grazing role on the Lika Plains. The animals will create a wilder grassland environment, enhancing wild nature, and continue the Tauros Programme’s genetic refinement process." "On the eve of the release at the NatGeo Wild of the documentary series about rewilding in different regions of Europe, let's remember or learn more about the heroes of the episode "Europe's Amazon", which tells about our work in the Danube Delta. ??? Water buffaloes, which were released last year on the Ermakiv island near Vilkovo ??, have adapted well to their new home. Since then, the herd has 2 newly born calves, which feel great. Water buffaloes do natural grazing on the island: they open up the scrub and reedbeds, creating pools and puddles which are home to many insects, amphibians and fish. They are also great seed distributors, carrying seeds of more than 200 plant species in fur and in their digestive system. More on the episode "Europe's Amazon" ? https://europesnewwild.com/episodes/europes-amazon/"
Large carnivore expansion in Europe is associated with human population density and land cover changes
Abstract Aim The recent recovery of large carnivores in Europe has been explained as resulting from a decrease in human persecution driven by widespread rural land abandonment, paralleled by forest cover increase and the consequent increase in availability of shelter and prey. We investigated whether land cover and human population density changes are related to the relative probability of occurrence of three European large carnivores: the grey wolf (Canis lupus), the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) and the brown bear (Ursus arctos). Location Europe, west of 64° longitude. Methods We fitted multi‐temporal species distribution models using >50,000 occurrence points with time series of land cover, landscape configuration, protected areas, hunting regulations and human population density covering a 24‐year period (1992–2015). Within the temporal window considered, we then predicted changes in habitat suitability for large carnivores throughout Europe. Results Between 1992 and 2015, the habitat suitability for the three species increased in Eastern Europe, the Balkans, North‐West Iberian Peninsula and Northern Scandinavia, but showed mixed trends in Western and Southern Europe. These trends were primarily associated with increases in forest cover and decreases in human population density, and, additionally, with decreases in the cover of mosaics of cropland and natural vegetation. Main conclusions Recent land cover and human population changes appear to have altered the habitat suitability pattern for large carnivores in Europe, whereas protection level did not play a role. While projected changes largely match the observed recovery of large carnivore populations, we found mismatches with the recent expansion of wolves in Central and Southern Europe, where factors not included in our models may have played a dominant role. This suggests that large carnivores’ co‐existence with humans in European landscapes is not limited by habitat availability, but other factors such as favourable human tolerance and policy.
One foot out of the grave: Wolves back in Luxembourg
After a century of absence, wolves have returned to one of Europe’s smallest countries. DNA has provided the necessary evidence. The wolf is one of Europe’s largest predators. Humans hunted this enigmatic species to extinction in Western Europe more than 100 years ago. When finally protected some 30 years ago, wolves staged a remarkable comeback. Notably in France and Germany, many wolf packs are now re-established. As recently reported in the journal Mammalia by zoologist Dr. Laurent Schley and colleagues, the expansion of wolves has now also reached Luxembourg. By analysing DNA taken from bite wounds from sheep killed by predators, the researchers were able to detect wolves in two cases, in 2017 and 2020. These are the first confirmed records of wolves in Luxembourg since 1893. Schley, deputy director of Luxembourg’s government agency for nature conservation, said: “It is really exciting news that wolves are returning after such a long absence. If they manage to settle, they will contribute to a healthier natural environment.” What is even more remarkable was that the two wolves detected in Luxembourg originated from different areas: one from the Alps (the Alpine population) and one from Northern Germany (the Central European population). Similar developments are observed in neighbouring countries. “In the coming years and decades, wolves of the two populations will probably mix in this area of Europe”, concluded Schley, who is also a member of the Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe, a European expert group. Therefore “It will be a challenge: people have to learn to live with wolves again. Educating people and helping shepherds to protect their flocks will be crucial elements for generating acceptance for wolves, which are an integral part of our nature.”
A comparison of an ancient south african savannah harbouring megaherbivores with an emerging post pastoralist european grassland with no megaherbivore presence. This is then tied back to the rewilding europe movement, and the lessons it can learn from these ancient interactions between megaherbivores and their environments when concerning grasslands, as well as how european pastoralists can use the methods african pastoralists have in order to coexist with megafauna.
Biodiversity, land use and ecosystem services—An organismic and comparative approach to different geographical regions |
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