Habitat use and selection patterns inform habitat conservation priorities of an endangered large carnivore in southern Europe

Abstract

Understanding the habitat use and selection patterns of endangered species is essential in developing management measures that will protect critical habitat and mitigate human-wildlife conflicts. This understanding is particularly important in areas with high anthropogenic pressures. To understand the ecological role of various habitat types in the conservation of an endangered large carnivore in southern Europe, with its distinct environmental conditions and predominantly anthropogenic landscapes, we studied 18 GPS-collared brown bears Ursus arctos in Greece. We examined the use and selection of habitats according to age and sex categories and behavioral status during 5 ecologically defined seasons. Areas with rough terrain were identified as important refuge areas and were used by all bears in late hyperphagia and emergence. All bears used areas closer to human-related habitat features during the night. Habitat selection was positive for areas with rough terrain and naturalized (i.e. abandoned or not intensive) crops and areas close to water courses, while high-altitude areas and roads were avoided. The selection or avoidance of other habitats varied across bear categories and between stationary and moving behavior. We recommend that the results of the study be used to develop guidelines for species conservation and allow for prioritizing management actions that will promote the conservation of bears in Greece. In particular, the habitat use patterns provide information on how to limit interactions between humans and bears in space and/or time, while the habitat selection patterns indicate suitable habitats that should be protected/improved based on their importance and ecological role for the species.

Understanding the role of biodiversity in the climate, food, water, energy, transport and health nexus in Europe

“…For example, grasslands and rural biotopes like meadows and pastures maintained by traditional agricultural practices host high species diversity (Elo et al, 2021). Similarly, bear species used areas closer to natural habitat during the day and areas closer to human-related habitat (including intensive and naturalized crops) at night (De Gabriel Hernando et al, 2021). The food has both positive and negative influence on biodiversity and water, and stronger than the biodiversity and water influences on food.…”

Understanding Species–Habitat Associations: A Case Study with the World’s Bears

“…In Greece, bears with GPS radio-collars selected for rough terrain away from people, but they came closer to human-related habitat features, such as dwellings, roads, and crops at night [180]. In a number of other European countries, brown bears are attracted to feeding sites with the purpose of either diverting them from using foods in human settlements (diversionary feeding), or congregating bears for hunting or viewing (supplemental feeding).…”

Assessing spatial patterns and density of a dolphin population through signature whistles

“…The resulting data allow the use of mark‐recapture methods to estimate population parameters and investigate other ecological and biological aspects of the individual and its population (Hammond et al, 2021; Würsig & Jefferson, 1990). Habitat use, for example, is a result of individual behavior (e.g., Cantor et al, 2018; de Gabriel Hernando et al, 2021; Ofstad et al, 2019); therefore, knowing the individuals and monitoring them in time and space provides important information to understand such spatial patterns.…”