130925-studie-wildlife-comeback-in-europe

No. of species
1
2
3
4
No. of species
1
2
3
4
5
A
C
No. of species
1
2
3
4
No. of species
1
2
3
4
B
D
bution losses in bovids. However, since this refers
to relatively localised areas, it may again be a
reflection of difference in spatial resolution of the
underlying range information.
For birds, a comparison of the current spatial
distribution of species with that in the 1980s
(Figure 9) suggests an increase in the number of
species present in northern and north-central
Europe and a decline in southeastern Europe, as is
the case with the mammals. Similar patterns can be
seen for the number of species gaining and losing in
their distribution since the 1980s, with more species
expanding their range in central and northwestern
Europe, and more species contracting in southeastern
Europe, but also in Iberia (Figure 9).
For mammals, we investigated the pattern of
range change further. Distribution changes from
the past to the present were on the whole positive
for ungulates (+15.28%, n=9; five species gaining
in distribution and four species contracting) and
negative for carnivores (-13.9% and -19%, respectively
including (n=8) and excluding pinnipeds
(n=6); four species gaining in distribution and
four contracting), although order did not have a
significant effect on range change (Figure 10a).
Positive range change was most pronounced
among medium to large species (50–100 kg
average weight), though again this was not statistically
significant and showed much variation
(Figure 10B). There was a larger amount of positive
range change for species which expanded from
larger past ranges, compared to those species
expanding from smaller ranges, though again this
was not significant (Figure 10c).
Figure 8.
Spatial occurrence of
distribution gains and
losses for mammals,
between 1950s/60s
and present day,
expressed as
number of species
gaining [carnivores
(a), ungulates (c)] or
losing distribution
area [carnivores (b),
ungulates (d)].
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