Population development and landscape preference of reintroduced wild ungulates: successful rewilding in Southern Italy

PeerJ

article

Eleonora Rivieccio¹  Claudia Troiano³  Simona Petrelli²  Valeria Maselli²  Gabriele de Filippo⁴  Domenico Fulgione²  Maria Buglione² 

[1] Department of Humanities, University of Naples Federico II;Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II;Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno;Istituto Di Gestione Della Fauna

关键词: Deer;    Reintroduction;    Landscape;    Apennine;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.14492

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundIn the past decades, the abandonment of traditional land use practices has determined landscape changes inducing reforestation dynamics. This phenomenon can be contrasted with rewilding practices, i.e., the reintroduction of animals that may promote the recovery of landscape diversity. In this study, we explore the dynamics of expansion of two reintroduced populations of wild ungulates, Italian roe deer (Capreolus capreolus italicus) and red deer (Cervus elaphus), assessing their contribution in the recovery of landscape diversity.MethodsBy using direct and indirect information on the two species, collected by nocturnal and diurnal surveys and camera trapping, we modelled a habitat suitability map, and estimated the density and distribution of the populations. We also performed a land use changes analysis, combining the presence of wild ungulates and livestock.Results and DiscussionWe demonstrated that deer dispersed gradually from their release location, increasing in population size, and this occurred in the entire study area. Moreover, we show that areas with lower grazing density are significantly affected by forest encroachment. A possible interpretation of this result could be that wild grazers (roe deer and red deer) prefer semi-open areas surrounded by the forest. This, in association with other factors, such as domestic grazing, could be one of the main responsible in maintaining landscape mosaic typical of the Apennine mountain, confirming the value of grazers as a landscape management tool. Moreover, we show the possibility to conserve through reintroduction the vulnerable C.c. italicus.

【 授权许可】

CC BY