Bison-Rewilding-Plan-2014

ison carcass, with its large body mass, couldpotentially provide a significant source of nutrientenrichment, which influences the heterogeneityand diversity of plant communities. Carcasses arealso an important source of food for many species.A recent study identified more than 596 species ofinvertebrates and mammals that visited carcassesin Europe (Poelarends et al. 2012). Scavenging onbison carcasses has also been witnessed (Selvaet al. 2003; Catanoiu 2012) and so could providean important food source in the ecosystem, forexample in countries such as Spain, Bulgaria andthe Balkans where vultures depend entirely oncarrion but are at risk of extinction due to EUrules that prohibit abandoning domestic animalcarcasses. The restoration of European bison inthese regions would therefore be of significantecological benefit.Finally, Rewilding Europe also considersEuropean bison to be an umbrella species, as byprotecting the European bison and the large areasof habitat that it requires, many other plant andanimal species would benefit. Around 50% of theplants consumed by the bison rely on animalslike the bison for seed dispersal (Jaroszewicz &Piroznikow 2008)As a large, charismatic mammal it also has thepotential to be an iconic species both for natureconservation as well as for regional/rural development.The European bison could represent therestoration of a natural ecosystem or the establishmentof a protected area. It could be a strongsymbol not only for nature conservation projectsbut also for a region, local businesses or specificproducts/brands.Guiding principles:• The bison plays a vital role in severalEuropean ecosystems and is thereforeone of the main conservation prioritiesin a number of rewilding areas whereRewilding Europe is working.• The European bison should be used as asymbol for promoting wider ecologicalrestoration of European landscapes.Bartosz Pirga, wildlife biologist at Bieszczady NationalPark, Poland, taking a faeces sample from Europeanbison for DNA and parasitic analysisFLORIAN MÖLLERS / WILD WONDERS OF EUROPE