Environmental impact assessment for large carnivores: a methodological review of the wolf (Canis lupus) monitoring in Portugal ...

• Main Authors: Ferrão da Costa, Gonçalo, Mascarenhas, Miguel, Fonseca, Carlos, Sutherland, Chris
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Zenodo 2024
• Subjects: Wolves; Environmental impacts; Research monitoring; Canis lupus
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10953103; https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.10953103

The continuous growth of the global human population results in increased use and change of landscapes, with infrastructures like transportation or energy facilities, being a particular risk to large carnivores. Environmental Impact Assessments were established to identify the probable environmental consequences of any new proposed project, find ways to reduce impacts, and provide evidence to inform decision making and mitigation. Portugal has a wolf population of around 300 individuals, designated as an endangered species with full legal protection. They occupy the northern mountainous areas of the country which has also been the focus of new human infrastructures over the last 20 years. Consequently, dozens of wolf monitoring programs have been established to evaluate wolf population status, to identify impacts, and to inform appropriate mitigation or compensation measures. We reviewed Portuguese wolf monitoring programs to answer four key questions: do wolf programs examine adequate biological parameters ... : Funding provided by: Fundação para a Ciência e TecnologiaCrossref Funder Registry ID: https://ror.org/00snfqn58Award Number: 2020.06403.BD ...