130925-studie-wildlife-comeback-in-europe

declines occurred in the first half of the 20 th
century due to habitat alteration and change as
well as human persecution [12] , but over the last
century, its distribution has changed as a result of
local colonisations and extinctions [13] .
Habitat preferences and general densities
As a highly adaptable species tolerant of arid conditions,
the jackal occurs in a variety of habitats
including desert, grassland, wetland, forest, and
agricultural and semi-urban areas, although it is
most common in dry, open country [1] . In Europe,
it shows a preference for agricultural areas and
wetlands with adequate cover in lower elevations
[12] . Intensively cultivated areas without
cover are not suitable, although human activity
often increases food availability [14] . While subpopulations
comprise fewer than 1,000 adults [12] , the
species is common and numerous where food
and cover are abundant [1] . Viable populations can
exist in small areas because the species tolerates
living at high densities [14] . In terms of competition
with other carnivores, the jackal is mutually
exclusive with the Grey wolf (Canis lupus) [14–16] ,
dominates over the Red fox (Vulpes vulpes) [14] ,
and may impact negatively on the Wild cat (Felis
silvestris) [14] .
Legal protection and conservation status
The species is included in Annex V of the Habitats
Directive in the EU [17] and has been protected
in Bulgaria since 1962 [18] , Italy since 1997 [19] and
Slovenia since 2004 [16] . In Bulgaria, Croatia
and Hungary, it is actually managed as a game
species [12] . In Greece, a government-led poisoning
campaign (with bounty payments until 1981)
was discontinued in 1990 [14] . Although there is
a national action plan [14] , the species is neither
officially a game species nor protected [15] . The jackal
is listed as Least Concern both globally and in
Europe because it is widespread, locally common,
found at high densities where food and cover are
abundant, and highly adaptable and opportunistic
(Table 1). Within the EU, it is Near Threatened
because of its small, patchily distributed and
fragmented subpopulations (Table 1). In Greece, it
is listed as Vulnerable.
Abundance and distribution:
current status
The IUCN estimates a global population of over
130,000 individuals, with a maximum of 42%
occurring in Europe (Table 2). The largest populations
are found in Bulgaria (72%), Hungary (13%),
Serbia (9%), Romania (4%) and Greece (2–3%).
In Bulgaria, the Golden jackal is present in
72% of the country [24] , with the highest densities
in the southeast, northeast and central-north [18] .
A 33-fold expansion in range between 1962 and
1985 [7] has been attributed to increased food
availability, and legal protection since 1962 [25] .
Concurrently, the colonisation rate increased
from 1,150 km 2 to 9,650 km 2 per year [7] . At risk of
extinction before the 1970s [23] , the population in
Serbia is now the third largest in Europe (Table 2),
and jackals are locally common near the Bulgarian
border and in Srem [23] .
The Serbian population originated from a small
number of Bulgarian founders and therefore shows
a strong founder effect [26] . It has since colonised
Hungary [23] , where it became extinct in the 1940s [18] .
Natural recolonisation started with a few vagrant
animals here in 1979 [27] , and a viable population
was established in 1991–2 [8] . It is now said to be
spreading “like an invasive species” [8] and numbers
over 7,200 individuals in three regions in the
Table 1.
Summary of Global
and European Red
List assessments and
threats listed for the
Golden jackal.
Scale Status Population trend Justification Threats
Global
[6]
Least Concern Increasing Widespread and common
High density where food and cover
1. Industrialisation and agricultural intensification
2. Urbanisation of wilderness areas and rural landscapes
abundant
3. Local extirpation
Highly adaptable (omnivorous,
opportunistic, tolerant of dryness)
4. Poisoning
Europe
Least Concern Stable to Increasing Patchily distributed over wide area No threats
[12]
Locally common
EU 25
[12]
Near
Threatened
N/A
Patchy and fragmented distribution
Subpopulations 50% reduction in 20 years (Greece)
1. Habitat loss due to changes in agricultural practices
(Greece)
2. Possible reduction in food base due to animal
husbandry changes (fewer carcasses)
Decreasing net population trend
Readily colonises new areas (changes
status from Vulnerable)
3. Hunted as pest species
Europe —
regional
populations
[15]
Greece:
Vulnerable
N/A N/A N/A
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