Effects of large herbivores on fire regimes and wildfire mitigation

Rouet-Leduc, Julia; Pe’er, Guy; Moreira, Francisco; Bonn, Aletta; Helmer, Wouter; Zadeh, Shahin A. A. Shahsavan; Zizka, Alexander; Plas, Fons van der

doi:10.1111/1365-2664.13972

Cited by 58 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 119 publications

(140 reference statements)

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“…Thus, a perceived lack of effectiveness for these two approaches may reflect respondents' expertise in fire behavior and forest management; this is confirmed by the finding that "lack of information regarding fuel treatments" is not strongly limiting. In contrast, prescribed burning following tree cutting and livestock grazing were also considered less effective by respondents although they have proven effective in other jurisdictions (Schwilk et al, 2009;Prichard et al, 2021;Rouet-Leduc et al, 2021). These approaches are not common practice for reducing fire risk in BC, so respondents may not be familiar with the effectiveness of these approaches, which can be a barrier to uptake (McGee, 2007;McCaffrey et al, 2013).…”

Section: High Risk Perception Not a Singular Catalyst For Actionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Community Engagement With Proactive Wildfire Management in British Columbia, Canada: Perceptions, Preferences, and Barriers to Action

Copes‐Gerbitz

Dickson-Hoyle

Ravensbergen

et al. 2022

Front. For. Glob. Change

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Wildfires in the wildland-urban interface (WUI) are increasingly threatening lives and livelihoods. These growing impacts have prompted a paradigm shift toward proactive wildfire management that prioritizes prevention and preparedness instead of response. Despite this shift, many communities remain unprepared for wildfires in the WUI due to diverse individual and social-political factors influencing engagement with proactive management approaches. The catastrophic fire seasons of 2017, 2018, and 2021 in British Columbia (BC), Canada, highlighted just how vulnerable communities continue to be and the urgent need to understand the factors limiting engagement to future resilience to wildfire. Our study, conducted prior to the catastrophic fire season in 2017, surveyed 77 community leaders across BC to better understand the factors driving engagement, including risk perception, preferences and support for approaches, and key barriers limiting progress. We demonstrate that wildfire risk is an urgent issue facing communities across BC, but a range of factors drive variable community engagement with proactive wildfire management. First Nations and smaller (≤5,000 residents) communities were less likely to have developed a community wildfire plan, even though First Nations were significantly more concerned than municipalities/regional districts about certain values (such as drinking water and biodiversity) that were at risk from wildfire. In general, proactive approaches that were considered effective were also the most supported. The most highly supported approaches included enforcement of regulations and education, both of which are considered provincial responsibility in BC and are unlikely to alter community values in the WUI. In contrast, approaches involving prescribed burning of the understory had the highest levels of opposition. Despite variability in these individual factors, social-political barriers related to financial and social (time and expertise) capacity primarily limited engagement with proactive wildfire management, including provincial and federal funding programs. However, these barriers are not equally felt across community groups; First Nations identified social capacity (such as expertise on government-sponsored approaches and awareness of funding programs) as significantly more limiting than municipalities/regional districts. Our study illustrates the limitations of implementing a “shared responsibility” of proactive wildfire management in the WUI in BC without targeted supports to address unequal capacity barriers.

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Section: High Risk Perception Not a Singular Catalyst For Actionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Community Engagement With Proactive Wildfire Management in British Columbia, Canada: Perceptions, Preferences, and Barriers to Action

Copes‐Gerbitz

Dickson-Hoyle

Ravensbergen

et al. 2022

Front. For. Glob. Change

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“…In general, herbivores reduce fuel load most effectively when they are mixed species herds, and when herbivore food preferences match the local vegetation. In some cases, the combination of herbivory with other management strategies, such as prescribed fires, mechanical clearing, improved accessibility and passing through water points, is necessary to reduce wildfire damage (Rouet-Leduc et al, 2021). Those strategies also contribute to preventing land from being degraded.…”

Section: Dealing With Woody Vegetation Shrubs and Grassland In Grazed...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Grazing with trees

2022

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The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Dashed lines on maps represent approximate border lines for which there may not yet be full agreement. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned.The views expressed in this information product are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of FAO.

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“…While large carnivores are frequently in the spotlight as threatened keystone species, large herbivores and their important ecological functions often receive less attention (but see Linnell et al, 2020; Ripple et al, 2015). However, large herbivores are the primary food source for predators and scavengers (Ripple et al, 2015), and shape wildfire regimes (Rouet‐Leduc et al, 2021), landscape mosaics (Kowalczyk et al, 2021), vegetation dynamics (Sandom et al, 2014) and nutrient cycling (le Roux et al, 2020). As a result, restoring large herbivores is a key component of ecological restoration and rewilding (Perino et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Widespread habitat for Europe's largest herbivores, but poor connectivity limits recolonization

Bluhm

Diserens

Engleder³

et al. 2023

Diversity and Distributions

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Aim Several large‐mammal species in Europe have recovered and recolonized parts of their historical ranges. Knowing where suitable habitat exists, and thus where range expansions are possible, is important for proactively promoting coexistence between people and large mammals in shared landscapes. We aimed to assess the opportunities and limitations for range expansions of Europe's two largest herbivores, the European bison (Bison bonasus) and moose (Alces alces). Location Central Europe. Methods We used large occurrence datasets from multiple populations and species distribution models to map environmentally suitable habitats for European bison and moose across Central Europe, and to assess human pressure inside the potential habitat. We then used circuit theory modeling to identify potential recolonization corridors. Results We found widespread suitable habitats for both European bison (>120,000 km2) and moose (>244,000 km2), suggesting substantial potential for range expansions. However, much habitat was associated with high human pressure (37% and 43% for European bison and moose, respectively), particularly in the west of Central Europe. We identified a strong east–west gradient of decreasing connectivity, with major barriers likely limiting natural recolonization in many areas. Main conclusions We identify major potential for restoring large herbivores and their functional roles in Europe's landscapes. However, we also highlight considerable challenges for conservation planning and wildlife management, including areas where recolonization likely leads to human–wildlife conflict and where barriers to movement prevent natural range expansion. Conservation measures restoring broad‐scale connectivity are needed in order to allow European bison and moose to recolonize their historical ranges. Finally, our analyses and maps indicate suitable but isolated habitat patches that are unlikely to be colonized but are candidate locations for reintroductions to establish reservoir populations. More generally, our work emphasizes that transboundary cooperation is needed for restoring large herbivores and their ecological roles, and to foster coexistence with people in Europe's landscapes.

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Effects of large herbivores on fire regimes and wildfire mitigation

Cited by 58 publications

References 119 publications

Community Engagement With Proactive Wildfire Management in British Columbia, Canada: Perceptions, Preferences, and Barriers to Action

Community Engagement With Proactive Wildfire Management in British Columbia, Canada: Perceptions, Preferences, and Barriers to Action

Grazing with trees

Widespread habitat for Europe's largest herbivores, but poor connectivity limits recolonization

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