Cristescu Bogdan, Domokos Csaba, Teichman Kristine J, Nielsen Scott E
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
Department of Biological Sciences, Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa (iCWild), University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
PeerJ. 2019 Mar 19;7:e6549. doi: 10.7717/peerj.6549. eCollection 2019.
Habitat characteristics associated with species occurrences represent important baseline information for wildlife management and conservation, but have rarely been assessed for countries recently joining the EU. We used footprint tracking data and landscape characteristics in Romania to investigate the occurrence of brown bear (), gray wolf () and Eurasian lynx () and to compare model predictions between Natura 2000 and national-level protected areas (gap analysis). Wolves were more likely to occur where rugged terrain was present. Increasing proportion of forest was positively associated with occurrence of all large carnivores, but forest type (broadleaf, mixed, or conifer) generally varied with carnivore species. Areas where cultivated lands were extensive had little suitable habitat for lynx, whereas bear occurrence probability decreased with increasing proportion of built areas. Pastures were positively associated with wolf and lynx occurrence. Brown bears occurred primarily where national roads with high traffic volumes were at low density, while bears and lynx occurred at medium-high densities of communal roads that had lower traffic volumes. Based on predictions of carnivore distributions, natural areas protected in national parks were most suitable for carnivores, nature parks were less suitable, whereas EU-legislated Natura 2000 sites had the lowest probability of carnivore presence. Our spatially explicit carnivore habitat suitability predictions can be used by managers to amend borders of existing sites, delineate new protected areas, and establish corridors for ecological connectivity. To assist recovery and recolonization, management could also focus on habitat predicted to be suitable but where carnivores were not tracked.
与物种出现相关的栖息地特征是野生动物管理和保护的重要基础信息，但对于最近加入欧盟的国家来说，很少进行评估。我们利用罗马尼亚的足迹追踪数据和景观特征，调查棕熊（ ）、灰狼（ ）和欧亚猞猁（ ）的出现情况，并比较2000自然网络保护区和国家级保护区之间的模型预测结果（差距分析）。狼更有可能出现在地形崎岖的地方。森林比例增加与所有大型食肉动物的出现呈正相关，但森林类型（阔叶林、混交林或针叶林）通常因食肉动物种类而异。耕地广泛分布的地区对猞猁来说几乎没有合适的栖息地，而熊的出现概率随着建成区比例的增加而降低。牧场与狼和猞猁的出现呈正相关。棕熊主要出现在交通流量大的国道密度较低的地方，而熊和猞猁出现在交通流量较小的乡道中高密度区域。根据食肉动物分布的预测，国家公园内保护的自然区域对食肉动物最适宜，自然公园次之，而欧盟立法的2000自然网络保护区内食肉动物出现的概率最低。我们在空间上明确的食肉动物栖息地适宜性预测结果可供管理人员用于修改现有保护区边界、划定新的保护区以及建立生态连通走廊。为了帮助恢复和重新定居，管理工作还可以侧重于那些预测适宜但未追踪到食肉动物的栖息地。
