130925-studie-wildlife-comeback-in-europe

Recent developments
Table 3.
Major reasons for
positive change in the
status of the Golden
jackal.
Having established stable source populations in
Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary and Romania, the Golden
jackal is continuing its conquest of the European
mainland. As part of the recolonisation of areas
from which it had gone extinct [18] , the species is
expected soon to be resident in all of Hungary [8]
and spread to Moldova from Romania [18] . However,
the most interesting developments are believed to
be occurring in the western portions of the range.
Permanent territories have now been described in
Slovenia in areas where the wolf is absent [16] , and the
presence of territorial groups in Ljubljansko barje
were confirmed in 2009 [38] , with the second region
with reproduction confirmed in the Slovenian
Julian pre-Alps in 2012 [29] . The first evidence of the
occurrence of jackal in Switzerland was recorded
from five camera traps between 27 th November
and 12 th December 2011 [39] . In addition, the Italian
population is believed to play a central role in the
continuing expansion westwards. In April 2012, a
male jackal hit by a car was the first evidence of the
species in the Trentino [40] . Further expansion of
the northern limit of the species is also expected,
following unconfirmed sightings from central
Slovakia in 2008 [18] , as well as breeding evidence in
the Neusiedler See region of Austria from 2007 [41] .
Although the presence of adults was confirmed
with camera traps in spring 2009, the fate of the
2007 offspring is unknown and there is no evidence
Rank Reason for change Description
1 Legislation Legal protection resulted in marked abundance
increases and range expansions in Bulgaria [25] .
The introduction of EU directives on carnivore
reduction methods, and the EC Bird Directive and
EC Habitat Directive) resulted in recoveries in the
Balkans [8] .
Legal protection also resulted in reduced
persecution [18] .
2 Other — Increase in food
availability
3 Land/water protection &
management — Habitat
change
4 Other — Competitor
reduction
Game farming developments led to the increase of
animal carcasses and supported the comeback in
Bulgaria [25] .
The species is opportunistic and can exist on
human waste alone [15] . In Greece, jackal populations
are found near human settlements [15] . However, this
may also indicate an overdependence on human
food [15] .
Felling of forest and planting of scattered
coniferous trees led to the creation of more suitable
habitat (open areas with some cover) [14] .
The depopulation of rural areas is believed to be
one of the main factors in the maintenance of high
densities of jackals in Bulgaria [18] .
A reduction in wolf facilitated expansion in
Bulgaria [35] .
5 Other — Climate change Particularly favourable mild winters are believed
to have contributed to population increases in the
Balkans [8] .
6 Other — Species ecology The species is highly adaptable [24] , opportunistic [1]
and mobile [24] , all attributes which contribute
to its ability to expand its range quickly [18] . High
reproductive output [24] means it can bounce back
easily, e.g. in Bulgaria [7] , Hungary [36, 37] , and Samos
Island [15] .
of further reproduction so far [18] . However, a jackal
has now been recorded with camera traps for lynx
in Nationalpark Bayerischer Wald (26 th April 2012)
after first spreading to the Lausitz in 1998 [42] .
Because of the species’ high adaptability, the
conservation of the jackal in Europe is first and
foremost a political and sociological problem [23] .
Hunters in Slovenia and Hungary have a negative
attitude towards the canid, and are of the opinion
that jackals are responsible for the decline in Roe
deer (Capreolus capreolus) populations [4, 29] . Wolves,
which have a far greater effect, are viewed as less
negative, perhaps because they have been present
in the landscape for longer [29] . Public awareness
also needs to be raised [16, 19] , especially in Italy, where
many deaths are caused by accidental shooting or
poisoning, poaching and collisions [23] . Misidentification
and confusion with the Grey wolf and Red
fox are common, and the main problem for the
species’ conservation in the Adriatic hinterland [19] .
In addition, the species’ legal position needs to be
strengthened through both national (e.g. Italy [30] )
and regional (e.g. Europe) action plans. Potential
conflict with humans as well as increasing contact
with the wolf [23] (for example in Italy [30] ) should be
of particular concern. Elsewhere, there have been
recommendations to include the jackal in hunting
regulations to exert greater control over illegal
hunting (e.g. in Slovenia [16] ), while population
control measures have been put forward for
countries with large and increasing populations in
which these have been proven to affect game and
domestic animals, e.g. in Bulgaria [25] .
Although a carnivore and despite its recent
recolonisation success, the Golden jackal has been
somewhat neglected by the scientific community,
and there is a definite need to encourage research
and monitoring [18] . A particular focus should be on
improving current monitoring methods, as these
are unlikely to record all individuals [30] . Overall,
however, the Golden jackal is a resilient, adaptable
and opportunistic species, able to recover
quickly [18] if necessary, and its continued existence
and spread in Europe is to be expected.
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