Restoring a butterfly hot spot by large ungulates refaunation: the case of the Milovice military training range, Czech Republic

Abstract

Background Refaunation/rewilding by large ungulates represents a cost-efficient approach to managing natural biotopes and may be particularly useful for areas whose biodiversity depends on disturbance dynamics and is imperilled by successional changes. To study impacts of refaunation on invertebrates, we focused on butterflies inhabiting the former military training range Milovice, Czech Republic, refaunated since 2015 by a combination of Exmoor pony (“wild” horse), Tauros cattle (“aurochs”), and European wisent. Methods We analysed butterfly presence-absence patterns immediately after the military use termination (early 1990s), prior to the refaunation (2009), and after it (2016–19); and current abundance data gained by monitoring butterflies at refaunated and neglected plots. We used correspondence analysis for the presence-absence comparison and canonical correspondence analysis for the current monitoring, and related results of both ordination methods to the life history and climatic traits, and conservation-related attributes, of recorded butterflies. Results Following the termination of military use, several poorly mobile species inclining towards oceanic climates were lost. Newly gained are mobile species preferring warmer continental conditions. The refaunated plots hosted higher butterfly species richness and abundances. Larger-bodied butterflies developing on coarse grasses and shrubs inclined towards neglected plots, whereas refaunated plots supported smaller species developing on small forbs. Conclusion The changes in species composition following the cessation of military use were attributable to successional change, coupled with changes in species pool operating at larger scales. By blocking succession, large ungulates support butterflies depending on competitively poor plants. Restoring large ungulates populations represents a great hope for conserving specialised insects, provided that settings of the projects, and locally adapted ungulate densities, do not deplete resources for species with often contrasting requirements.

Trait‐based approaches as ecological time machines: Developing tools for reconstructing long‐term variation in ecosystems

“…Trait‐based macroecological analyses show that reintroductions of large herbivores have potential to substantially modify ecosystem functioning in ways that increase system diversity and resilience (Lundgren et al, 2020; Schowanek et al, 2021), in line with neo‐ecological evidence from real‐world rewilding projects (Konvička et al, 2021; Ratajczak et al, 2022). Other studies have observed changes in mammalian community FTs and considered wider ecological effects within regions and across the globe (Dantas & Pausas, 2022; Doughty et al, 2016).…”

The late-Quaternary megafauna extinctions: Patterns, causes, ecological consequences and implications for ecosystem management in the Anthropocene

“…As trophic rewilding is a young field the number of empirical studies on self-identified rewilding efforts remains limited, albeit strongly rising (Svenning et al, 2016;Hart et al, 2023). However, there are many empirical studies on the ecosystem effects and biodiversity outcomes of de facto trophic rewilding, especially in Europe, North America, and southern Africa, often under names such as year-round or extensive grazing, or reintroductions, e.g., with many showing positive biodiversity effects (especially for plants) attributable to bison (e.g, Ratajczak et al, 2022) or feral and semiferal cattle and horses (e.g., Konvička et al, 2021;Dvorský et al, 2022;Bonavent et al, 2023;Köhler et al, 2023). Further, several long-term cases of megafauna recovery that did not necessarily emerge out of rewilding principles show how trophic rewilding can result in largescale top-down effects on ecosystems, for example vegetation changes in response to the reestablishment of white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) (Cromsigt and te Beest, 2014) and African savanna elephants (Gordon et al, 2023).…”

Rapid and continuing regional decline of butterflies in eastern Denmark 1993-2019

“…This overall situation is driven by agricultural economic rationale and further incentivized by the EU common agricultural policy (Kindvall et al 2022). Conservation areas grazed year-round at near-natural herbivore densities have been shown to better support species-rich butterfly communities (Konvička et al 2021). One effect of over-grazing and cutting by machinery is homogenization in terms of vegetation structure and microtopography, which may increase the probability of local extinction in years with weather anomalies.…”