Widespread habitat for Europe's largest herbivores, but poor connectivity limits recolonization ...

• Main Authors: Bluhm, Hendrik, Diserens, Tom A., Engleder, Thomas, Heising, Kaja Leandra, Heurich, Marco, Janík, Tomáš, Jirků, Miloslav, Klich, Daniel, König, Hannes J., Kowalczyk, Rafał, Kuijper, Dries, Maślanko, Weronika, Michler, Frank‐Uwe, Neumann, Wiebke, Oeser, Julian, Olech, Wanda, Perzanowski, Kajetan, Ratkiewicz, Mirosław, Romportl, Dušan, Šálek, Martin, Kuemmerle, Tobias
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin 2023
• Subjects: Alces alces; Bison bonasus; ecological restoration; megafauna; niche modeling; potential habitat; range expansion; rewilding; wildlife crossings; 570 Biologie
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.18452/27193; https://edoc.hu-berlin.de/handle/18452/27852

Aim Several large-mammal species in Europe have recovered and recolonized parts of their historical ranges. Knowing where suitable habitat exists, and thus where range expansions are possible, is important for proactively promoting coexistence between people and large mammals in shared landscapes. We aimed to assess the opportunities and limitations for range expansions of Europe's two largest herbivores, the European bison (Bison bonasus) and moose (Alces alces). Location Central Europe. Methods We used large occurrence datasets from multiple populations and species distribution models to map environmentally suitable habitats for European bison and moose across Central Europe, and to assess human pressure inside the potential habitat. We then used circuit theory modeling to identify potential recolonization corridors. Results We found widespread suitable habitats for both European bison (>120,000 km2) and moose (>244,000 km2), suggesting substantial potential for range expansions. However, much ...