130925-studie-wildlife-comeback-in-europe

Given that protected areas contribute to species
recovery (e.g. Grey seal, Northern and Southern
chamois, Iberian lynx accounts in this report), it is
important that the protected area network provides
significant amounts of space and connectivity to aid
wildlife comeback. The existing network of Natura
2000 sites and protected areas provides important
refuge and core habitat for a number of species in
some regions (e.g. Grey wolf in the Alps [81] ), yet the
current management may be inadequate on its own
for other species (e.g. steppe birds in Spain [82] ). It also
needs to take into account the needs of seasonal
migrants, e.g. ungulates which move from higher
to lower altitude in winter because of better food
availability and climate [83–85] . There is a clear need to
assess the effectiveness of the current protected area
network under scenarios of future wildlife comeback
and land abandonment in order to address gaps in the
network and connectivity issues which would limit
range expansion of returning wildlife, including the
design of permeable landscapes for improved ‘green
infrastructure’. Re-connecting habitats also requires
measures such as the construction of underpasses
and bridges (or ‘ecoducts’) across roads and railways
to ensure safe passage of wildlife while minimising
traffic collisions (e.g. via fencing [86] ).
Spatial considerations become even more of
an issue for species that cross country borders,
requiring the establishment of trans-boundary
management plans. Europe is home to many
migratory species, providing the breeding,
wintering and/or passage parts of their range, and
much effort is being devoted to disentangle the
drivers of population change in these species [87–89] .
This has often expanded the spatial scale at which
to consider effective recovery strategies to include
areas outside Europe. International agreements
on the protection of migratory species have been
drawn up under the auspices of the Convention
on Migratory Species (CMS), for example the
African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement [90] in
response to patterns of sustained and often severe
declines in many Palaearctic–African migrants [91] .
European species such as the Black-tailed godwit
(Limosa limosa) have been listed as a species for
conservation action as part of this agreement [92] .
Within Europe, the middle-European population
of the Great bustard (Otis tarda) has been the
focus of a multi-country memorandum of understanding
to protect the species [93] . Many cetaceans
migrate across European waters [e.g. the Wadden
Sea populations of Common (Phoca vitulina) and
Part of the crew from
the private nature
reserve Faia Brava
in Portugal. Here,
land abandonment
is being transformed
from a huge problem
into an opportunity.
291