ForAdapt: Supporting collaborative decision making for managing wildlife and ecosystem services in transboundary protected areas of Europe

Integrating conservation and natural resource management (CNRM) across international borders has been recognized as necessary to maintain biodiversity and ecosystem services in the face of broad-scale pressures including growing resource demands, invasive species, natural hazards, and climate change. Implementing transboundary CNRM strategies raises three prominent challenges: (1) engaging decision makers and stakeholders from local to regional scales and across borders; (2) linking local-scale management decisions to measureable objectives at landscape to regional scales; and (3) learning and adapting to the complexity of decision making under multiple objectives and scales. To address these challenges, we used a collaborative decision-analytic approach to support cross-border CNRM in multiple European transboundary protected areas (PAs) through the EU-funded ForAdapt project. The approach includes elements of structured decision making and has been applied in non-transboundary contexts and comprised iterative steps of identifying ultimate objectives, external factors (at least partly beyond control of the PA managers), resource allocation options, predictive model linking actions to the objectives, and the optimal allocation option.  We applied and evaluated the approach for the first time in two transboundary conservation contexts. For the Triglav National Park (SL) and Prealpi Giulie Nature Park (IT) we identified a recommended 10-year transboundary resource allocation strategy for satisfying stakeholders concerned about brown bear and associated ecosystem services in the Julian Alps Ecoregion. We used participatory methods to develop a Bayesian decision network that accounted for competing stakeholder objectives and future uncertainties regarding perceived competence of the park managers and agreement among Alpine countries regarding bear management. The ultimate objectives were to maintain bear population carrying capacity and sustainable agriculture while minimizing stakeholder conflicts. The recommended allocation led to a concrete transboundary strategy for park managers to collaboratively engage stakeholders, data gatherers, and regional decision-makers in this transboundary pilot region for enhancing ecological connectivity under the Alpine Convention. The second case study focuses on Bavarian Forest National Park (DE) and Šumava National Park (CZ), which provides a recommended strategy for communication between and beyond parks regarding many of their CNRM activities.  Together, these case studies demonstrate the efficiency of a collaborative decision-analytic approach for overcoming challenges of transboundary management and conservation for wildlife, biodiversity, and ecosystem services.  Based on our own experience and independent feedback from stakeholders, we believe the approach will be useful in other transboundary CNRM contexts where there are already established working relationships between PA managers. peerReviewe

Upravljanje prostoživečih živali čezmejnega območja Julijskih Alp na primeru alpskega kozoroga in severnega (alpskega) gamsa

Ekološka povezljivost je osnova, ki omogoča naravne procese vrst, kot so pretok genov, selitev, širjenje arealov vrst, in je pomembna za dolgoročno ohranjanje vrst ter njihovih habitatov. Za zagotavljanje ekološke povezljivosti je bistvena fizična povezanost habitatov in enostavno prehajanje osebkov ter vrst med njimi. Ovira za prehajanje organizmov in ohranjanje vrst med državami so razlike v politikah, zakonodaji in upravljanju prostoživečih živali. Neusklajeno upravljanje s prostoživečimi živalmi na obeh straneh državne meje lahko povzroči težave pri povezovanju populacij nekaterih vrst, ker vpliva na gibanje in vedenje živali. Zato so čezmejna zavarovana območja pomembna za zagotavljanje ekološke povezljivosti med dvema državama ali več. Za alpski prostor sta pomembni vrsti alpski kozorog (Capra ibex) in severni (alpski) gams (Rupicapra rupicapra). Zato smo za čezmejno območje Julijskih Alp (velikost 289.660 ha), ki leži med Italijo in Slovenijo, v projektih AlpBioNet2030 in DINALPCONNECT analizirali stanje in upravljanje obeh vrst ter predlagali izboljšave upravljanja s ciljem izboljšati stanje populacij in zagotoviti ekološko povezljivost habitata za vrste na širšem čezmejnem območju. Od leta 2017 smo izpeljali štiri čezmejne delavnice z deležniki z italijanske in slovenske strani (predstavniki lovcev, lastnikov zemljišč, upravljavcev zavarovanih območij, gozdarjev, odločevalcev na nacionalni in regionalni ravni (ministrstva, občine) ter varstva narave). Rezultat participativnega procesa je čezmejni koncept celostnega upravljanja z alpskim kozorogom in severnim (alpskim) gamsom ter njunima habitatoma, ki vsebuje vizijo in strategijo čezmejnega upravljanja ter akcijski načrt na čezmejnem območju Julijskih Alp.Ecological connectivity enables natural processes such as gene flow, migration, and species range shifts, and is therefore important for the long-term conservation of species and their habitats. To ensure ecological connectivity, the physical connection of habitat patches, and unimpeded movement of the organisms between them are essential. Barriers for transboundary movement of organisms between countries are the differences in the politics, legislation, and management of wildlife. Inconsistent management of wildlife can cause problems in the connectivity of some species’ populations on both sides of the country border, which affects the movement and behaviour of the animals. Therefore, trans-boundary protected areas play an important role in ensuring ecological connectivity between two or more countries. Two important wildlife species for the Alpine area are Alpine ibex (Capra ibex) and northern (Alpine) chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra). Therefore, in the AlpBioNet2030 and DINALPCONNECT projects, we analysed the condition and management of both species in the Julian Alps trans-boundary area (size 289.660 ha), situated between Italy and Slovenia. Furthermore, we proposed changes in management to improve the populations’ condition and ensure ecological connectivity of the habitat for the species in the wider trans-boundary area. Since 2017, we have carried out four trans-boundary workshops with stakeholders from Italy and Slovenia (representatives of hunters, landowners, protected area managers, foresters, decision-makers on the national and regional level (ministries, municipalities), and nature conservationists). The result of the participative process is a trans-boundary management concept of the Alpine ibex and northern (Alpine) chamois populations and their habitat, which incorporates the vision and strategy of the trans-boundary management and action plan in the Julian Alps trans-boundary area

Alpine Ibex Nativeness in Slovenia

Alpski kozorog (Capra ibex) je alpski endemit. Na območju Slovenije naj bi bila vrsta iztrebljena v drugi polovici 17. stoletja, globalno pa je bila zaradi prelova na robu izumrtja konec 19. stoletja. Preživela je le populacija na širšem območju parka Gran Paradiso na skrajnem zahodu Alp v Italiji. Zaradi naselitev in drugih varstvenih programov sedaj alpski kozorog živi v celotnih Alpah, vključno s Slovenijo. Vendar pri nas njegove populacije nazadujejo in so v zelo slabem stanju, kar je lahko rezultat več dejavnikov. Malo izvornih osebkov ob naselitvah, zgodovinska ozka grla in ločenost kolonij so povzročili parjenje v sorodstvu, kar je slabšalo genetsko stanje populacij in lahko negativno vpliva tudi na demografijo. K številčnemu zmanjševanju vrste so lahko prispevale tudi bolezni. Za dolgoročno ohranitev alpskega kozoroga v Sloveniji so nujni takojšnji aktivni ohranitveni ukrepi, pogoj pa je ustrezna opredelitev izvornosti vrste, saj je (bila) zaradi prejšnjih pomanjkljivih podatkov umeščena med tujerodne. V prispevku na podlagi arheo-zooloških, genetskih in preliminarnih habitatnih analiz utemeljujemo, da je v Sloveniji kozorog domorodna vrsta. V raziskavah smo pokazali, da je vrsta živela na ozemlju zdajšnje Slovenije v poznoantičnem in zgodnje srednjeveškem obdobju. Preliminarno smo določili tudi primernost in povezanost habitata kozoroga v slovenskem alpskem svetu ter nakazali verjetne potrebne ukrepe za ohranitev vrste v Sloveniji.Alpine ibex (Capra ibex) is an Alpine endemic species. In the area of Slovenia, the species is supposed to have been eradicated in the second half of the 17th century, and globally, it was on the brink of extinction due to the overhunting at the end of the 19th century. Only the population in the wider area of the Gran Paradiso Park on the utmost west part of the Alps in Italy. Due to the reintroductions and other protection programs, alpine ibex now inhabits the entire Alps, including Slovenia. However, its populations in Slovenia are declining and are in a very poor condition, which can be a result of several factors. Inbreeding resulting from small founder populations, historical bottlenecks, and colony isolation has compromised genetic diversity, potentially impacting demographic outcomes as well. In addition, diseases could have added to the decline of the species. Immediate conservation measures are necessary for the long-term conservation of alpine ibex in Slovenia, with a prerequisite being the proper determination of the species’ nativeness, as it was previously misclassified as non-native due to insufficient data. In our article, based on the archeozoological, genetic, and preliminary habitat analyses we explain that the alpine ibex is an autochthonous species in Slovenia. In our studies, we have shown that the species lived in the area of the present Slovenia in the late antiquity and early medieval era. We also preliminarily determined suitability and connectivity of the alpine ibex habitat in the Slovenian Alpine region and indicated the probable measures needed for the conservation of the species in Slovenia