130925-studie-wildlife-comeback-in-europe

Figure 1a.
Distribution of
Golden jackal in
1955 [34] and 2011 [18] .
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Figure 1b.
Map highlighting
areas of range
expansion,
persistence and
contraction of
the Golden jackal
in Europe between
1955 and 2011. Please
note that contraction
observed from 1955
to 2011 is likely to be
an artefact of the
difference in map
resolution.
populations into northwestern Slovenia [30] , and in
the 1980s into Italy, Austria, and Hungary, likely
with the help of the Bulgarian population [7, 19] .
Other major reasons for expansion include habitat
change, such as the felling of forest [14] , planting of
scrub [14] and abandonment of landscape [18] ; and
legal developments, such as the introduction of
the EU directive on carnivore reduction methods
(relating to the use of poisons, leg hold traps, and
non-selective killing methods) and the EC Birds
Directive and EC Habitats Directive [8] . A third
range expansion is believed to have occurred in
the 2000s [7, 8, 19] , and this is generally attributed to
the high adaptability of the jackal [18] , as well as the
increasing availability and accessibility of food
resources [24] . Particularly favourable mild winters
are believed to have contributed to population
increases in the Balkans [8] .
Overall, current changes in distribution and
population sizes are most likely due to protection
and reduced persecution [18] and the species’
ability to adapt to human-managed areas [4]
(Table 3). In future, however, climatic changes due
to global warming may reduce barriers to the
dispersal of the Golden jackal, such as long winters
with severe snow cover [14] .
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