Outdoorsport und Wildtiere in den Bergen

In den Schweizer Alpen sind Outdoorsportarten wie Wandern, Mountainbiken oder Klettern sehr populär. In den letzten Jahren haben die Intensität und die Vielfalt des Outdoorsports nochmals zugenommen, was zu einem steigenden Druck auf Wildtiere und ihre Lebensräume führt. Wie können negative Einflüsse des Outdoorsports auf die Wildtiere reduziert werden? Was sagt die Wissenschaft dazu? Und stimmt dies mit den Einschätzungen der Sportler:innen überein? Eine Literaturrecherche und ein wissenschaftliches Experiment liefern handfeste Grundlagen für eine Sensibilisierung

Wildlife and humans in outdoor recreational areas near cities

<p>In Naherholungsräumen von Städten herrscht reger Betrieb: am Tag, aber auch in Randzeiten und teils gar in der Nacht. Wildtiere und deren Lebensräume geraten dadurch unter Druck. In stark frequentierten Gebieten sind Rehe weniger aktiv und für viele Wildtierarten ist der Lebensraum reduziert. Wildruhezonen, eine eingeschränkte Er- schliessung und die Lenkung der Besuchenden verbessern die Lebensbedingungen der Wildtiere.</p> <p> </p

Close encounters : analyzing disturbance events between deer and visitors in a recreational forest

Disturbance events between wild animals and visitors of a recreational area are an excellent example to study interaction movement patterns. This paper presents computational movement analysis methods for studying disturbance dynamics, especially when both animals and visitors are tracked. The first method combines trajectory segmentation with animal homeranges aiming at detecting flight events. The second method formalizes the sequence pattern “disturbance-flight-seek cover”. The pattern is then applied searching for differences between different disturbance categories

Leitfaden zum Monitoring von Wildhuftieren

Das Monitoring einheimischer Wildhuftier-Bestände ist ein grundlegendes Element des Wildtiermanagements, das in der Schweiz folgende Zielsetzungen verfolgt (gemäss Bundesgesetz über die Jagd und den Schutz wildlebender Säugetiere und Vögel JSG; SR 922.0): • den Schutz gefährdeter Arten, • dem Lebensraum angepasste Populationsgrössen mit möglichst natürlichen Bestandsstrukturen (Alters- und Geschlechterstruktur), • eine nachhaltige Jagd. Um diese Ziele zu gewährleisten bzw. verlässlich zu überprüfen, braucht es nach aktuellen Standards erhobene, gut dokumentierte Daten über Grösse, Entwicklung, Struktur, Zustand und Verbreitung von Wildtierbeständen. Zudem bilden diese Daten die Ausgangslage bei der Definition von jagdplanerischen Zielsetzungen (z.B. Stabilisierung/Senkung/Anhebung des Bestands; siehe Abb. 1) und dienen der Erfolgskontrolle bzw. Anpassung der umgesetzten Massnahmen im Sinne der rollenden Planung. Daten können mit diversen Monitoring-Methoden erhoben und analysiert werden, die sich zudem ständig weiterentwickeln. Die Arbeitsgruppe (AG) Wildhuftiere der Schweizerischen Gesellschaft für Wildtierbiologie (SGW) hat deshalb für alle im Management von Wildhuftieren tätigen Personen den vorliegenden Leitfaden erstellt. Darin werden die Parameter aufgelistet, die zur Beantwortung der wichtigsten Fragen im Huftiermanagement bekannt sein müssen, und die Monitoring-Methoden vorgestellt, die zur Erhebung dieser Parameter geeignet sind. Für jede einheimische Huftierart (Reh, Rothirsch, Wildschwein, Gämse, Steinbock) werden Empfehlungen gegeben, welche Standards ein Monitoring erfüllen soll, unter Abwägung der Aussagekraft und der Machbarkeit. Der Leitfaden entspricht dem aktuellen Wissens- und Erfahrungsstand und die Arbeitsgruppe möchte damit einen Beitrag an ein fachlich fundiertes Wildhuftiermanagement in der Schweiz leisten

Rothirschprojekt Aletsch-Goms : Abschlussbericht zum Forschungs- und Managementprojekt 2017–2021

Ab etwa Mitte des 20. Jahrhunderts kommt der Rothirsch im Wallis in nennenswerten Beständen vor. Trotz intensiver Bejagung nehmen die Bestände seither stetig zu und führen teilweise zu Konflikten, insbesondere im Wald und in der Region Aletsch-Goms. Über die Raumnutzung und das Wanderverhalten der Rothirsche in dieser Region lagen bislang einige Einschätzungen und Vermutungen, jedoch kaum gesicherte Fakten vor. Mit dem im Jahr 2017 initiierten Rothirschprojekt Aletsch-Goms wurden bedeutende Wissenslücken für einen fachlich fundierten Umgang mit dieser anspruchsvollen Wildtierart nun geschlossen

Green-up selection by red deer in heterogeneous, human-dominated landscapes of Central Europe

The forage maturation hypothesis (FMH) assumes that herbivores cope with the trade-off between digestibility and biomass in forage by selecting vegetation at intermediate growth. The green wave hypothesis (GWH) extends the FMH to suggest how spatiotemporal heterogeneity in plant quality shapes migratory movements of herbivores. Growing empirical support for these hypotheses mainly comes from studies in vast landscapes with large-scale habitat heterogeneity. It is unclear, however, to what extent ungulates surf green waves in human-altered landscapes with small-scale heterogeneity in terms of land use and topography. We used plant phenological proxies derived from Sentinel 2 satellite data to analyze the habitat selection of 93 collared red deer (Cervus elaphus) in montane and alpine habitats. Using a step selection analysis, we investigated how plant phenology, that is, the instantaneous rate of green-up (IRG) and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and a set of variables describing topography and human presence influenced red deer resource selection in open habitats. We learned that red deer selected areas with high biomass at green-up and avoided habitats with possible exposure to human activity. Additionally, landscape structure and topography strongly influenced spatial behavior of red deer. We further compared cumulative access to high-quality forage across migrant strategies and found migrants gained better access than residents. Many migratory individuals surfed the green wave, and their surfing behavior, however, became less pronounced with decreasing distance to settlements. Within the constraints of topography and human land use, red deer track spring green-up on a fine spatiotemporal scale and follow the green wave across landscapes in migration movements. Thus, they benefit from high-quality forage even in human-dominated landscapes with small-scale heterogeneity and vegetation emerging in a heterogenic, dynamic mosaic

Behavioral responses of terrestrial mammals to COVID-19 lockdowns

DATA AND MATERIALS AVAILABILITY : The full dataset used in the final analyses (33) and associated code (34) are available at Dryad. A subset of the spatial coordinate datasets is available at Zenodo (35). Certain datasets of spatial coordinates will be available only through requests made to the authors due to conservation and Indigenous sovereignty concerns (see table S1 for more information on data use restrictions and contact information for data requests). These sensitive data will be made available upon request to qualified researchers for research purposes, provided that the data use will not threaten the study populations, such as by distribution or publication of the coordinates or detailed maps. Some datasets, such as those overseen by government agencies, have additional legal restrictions on data sharing, and researchers may need to formally apply for data access. Collaborations with data holders are generally encouraged, and in cases where data are held by Indigenous groups or institutions from regions that are under-represented in the global science community, collaboration may be required to ensure inclusion.COVID-19 lockdowns in early 2020 reduced human mobility, providing an opportunity to disentangle its effects on animals from those of landscape modifications. Using GPS data, we compared movements and road avoidance of 2300 terrestrial mammals (43 species) during the lockdowns to the same period in 2019. Individual responses were variable with no change in average movements or road avoidance behavior, likely due to variable lockdown conditions. However, under strict lockdowns 10-day 95th percentile displacements increased by 73%, suggesting increased landscape permeability. Animals’ 1-hour 95th percentile displacements declined by 12% and animals were 36% closer to roads in areas of high human footprint, indicating reduced avoidance during lockdowns. Overall, lockdowns rapidly altered some spatial behaviors, highlighting variable but substantial impacts of human mobility on wildlife worldwide.The Radboud Excellence Initiative, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the National Science Foundation, Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Dutch Research Council NWO program “Advanced Instrumentation for Wildlife Protection”, Fondation Segré, RZSS, IPE, Greensboro Science Center, Houston Zoo, Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, Nashville Zoo, Naples Zoo, Reid Park Zoo, Miller Park, WWF, ZCOG, Zoo Miami, Zoo Miami Foundation, Beauval Nature, Greenville Zoo, Riverbanks zoo and garden, SAC Zoo, La Passarelle Conservation, Parc Animalier d’Auvergne, Disney Conservation Fund, Fresno Chaffee zoo, Play for nature, North Florida Wildlife Center, Abilene Zoo, a Liber Ero Fellowship, the Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program, Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, Teck Coal, and the Grand Teton Association. The collection of Norwegian moose data was funded by the Norwegian Environment Agency, the German Ministry of Education and Research via the SPACES II project ORYCS, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Wyoming Game and Fish Commission, Bureau of Land Management, Muley Fanatic Foundation (including Southwest, Kemmerer, Upper Green, and Blue Ridge Chapters), Boone and Crockett Club, Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resources Trust, Knobloch Family Foundation, Wyoming Animal Damage Management Board, Wyoming Governor’s Big Game License Coalition, Bowhunters of Wyoming, Wyoming Outfitters and Guides Association, Pope and Young Club, US Forest Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Wyoming Wild Sheep Foundation, Wild Sheep Foundation, Wyoming Wildlife/Livestock Disease Research Partnership, the US National Science Foundation [IOS-1656642 and IOS-1656527, the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness, and by a GRUPIN research grant from the Regional Government of Asturias, Sigrid Rausing Trust, Batubay Özkan, Barbara Watkins, NSERC Discovery Grant, the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration act under Pittman-Robertson project, the State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of the Czech Republic, the Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic, Rufford Foundation, an American Society of Mammalogists African Graduate Student Research Fund, the German Science Foundation, the Israeli Science Foundation, the BSF-NSF, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food and Slovenian Research Agency (CRP V1-1626), the Aage V. Jensen Naturfond (project: Kronvildt - viden, værdier og værktøjer), the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) under Germany’s Excellence Strategy, National Centre for Research and Development in Poland, the Slovenian Research Agency, the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, Disney Conservation Fund, Whitley Fund for Nature, Acton Family Giving, Zoo Basel, Columbus, Bioparc de Doué-la-Fontaine, Zoo Dresden, Zoo Idaho, Kolmården Zoo, Korkeasaari Zoo, La Passarelle, Zoo New England, Tierpark Berlin, Tulsa Zoo, the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Government of Mongolia, the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration act and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the National Science Foundation, Parks Canada, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, Alberta Environment and Parks, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Safari Club International and Alberta Conservation Association, the Consejo Nacional de Ciencias y Tecnología (CONACYT) of Paraguay, the Norwegian Environment Agency and the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, EU funded Interreg SI-HR 410 Carnivora Dinarica project, Paklenica and Plitvice Lakes National Parks, UK Wolf Conservation Trust, EURONATUR and Bernd Thies Foundation, the Messerli Foundation in Switzerland and WWF Germany, the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, NASA Ecological Forecasting Program, the Ecotone Telemetry company, the French National Research Agency, LANDTHIRST, grant REPOS awarded by the i-Site MUSE thanks to the “Investissements d’avenir” program, the ANR Mov-It project, the USDA Hatch Act Formula Funding, the Fondation Segre and North American and European Zoos listed at http://www.giantanteater.org/, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, the Yellowstone Forever and the National Park Service, Missouri Department of Conservation, Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Grant, and State University of New York, various donors to the Botswana Predator Conservation Program, data from collared caribou in the Northwest Territories were made available through funds from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Government of the Northwest Territories. The European Research Council Horizon2020, the British Ecological Society, the Paul Jones Family Trust, and the Lord Kelvin Adam Smith fund, the Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute and Tanzania National Parks. The Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapahoe Fish and Game Department and the Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Kodiak Brown Bear Trust, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Koniag Native Corporation, Old Harbor Native Corporation, Afognak Native Corporation, Ouzinkie Native Corporation, Natives of Kodiak Native Corporation and the State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, and the Slovenia Hunters Association and Slovenia Forest Service. F.C. was partly supported by the Resident Visiting Researcher Fellowship, IMéRA/Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille. This work was partially funded by the Center of Advanced Systems Understanding (CASUS), which is financed by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and by the Saxon Ministry for Science, Culture and Tourism (SMWK) with tax funds on the basis of the budget approved by the Saxon State Parliament. This article is a contribution of the COVID-19 Bio-Logging Initiative, which is funded in part by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (GBMF9881) and the National Geographic Society.https://www.science.org/journal/sciencehj2023Mammal Research InstituteZoology and Entomolog