Sheep and wolves: Is the occurrence of large predators a limiting factor for sheep grazing in the Czech Carpathians?

Kovařík, Petr; Kutal, Miroslav; Machar, Ivo

doi:10.1016/j.jnc.2014.06.001

Cited by 26 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Maintaining the defined character of L3.1 Hercynian oak-hornbeam forests (TANH cz = 1,010 km 2 , NCEI = 0.26) requires re-implementation of the now defunct forest management type -coppice and coppice-with-standards (Machar 2009;Maděra et al 2017). Functioning of the natural dynamics of beech forest habitats (L5.1 Herb-rich beech forests, TANH cz = 1,229 km 2 , NCEI = 0.49 and L5.4 Acidophilous beech forests TANH cz = 1,473 km 2 , NCEI = 0.49) depends on the natural beech restoration which is, however, being prevented by the overpopulation of deer (Machar et al 2017c) due to the absence of their natural predators (Kovarik et al 2014). The T1.1 Mesic Arrhenatherum meadows (TANH cz = 1,907 km 2 , NCEI = 0.21) habitat is existentially dependent on regular mowing.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effectiveness of Natura 2000 system for habitat types protection: A case study from the Czech Republic

Pechanec¹,

Machar²,

Pohanka³

et al. 2018

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In conservation biology, there is a general consensus that protected areas (PAs) are one of the most effective tools for biodiversity protection. Worldwide, the area of PAs is continually increasing. But is the effectiveness of biodiversity protection improving with it? Since many PAs only exist as "paper parks" (i.e. they exist on maps and in legislation but offer little actual protection), the answer is uncertain. Moreover, it has long been known that, not only an increase in the extent of PAs, but also the efficiency of their management is fundamentally important for effective nature conservation. Therefore, there is a wide-ranging discussion about the actual effectiveness of PAs and factors that influence it.In the course of the EU pre-accession phase, a comprehensive field mapping of natural habitats took place in the Czech Republic in years 2001−2004. The mapping results were used to designate Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) as part of the Natura 2000 network.In this study, the aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of this newly created system of SACs for protection of biodiversity represented by the mapped natural habitats. The NCEI index (Nature Conservation Effectiveness Index) was applied, calculated as the total area of a particular habitat type in all SACs RESEARCH ARTICLE Launched to accelerate biodiversity conservation A peer-reviewed open-access journalVilém Pechanec et al. / Nature Conservation 24: 21-41 (2018) 22 in the Czech Republic divided by the total area of that same natural habitat in the entire Czech Republic. Habitat protection in the Czech Republic is focused primarily on the smallest types of rare habitats, many of which are classified as critically endangered. The Czech national system of SACs provides protection to a total of 4,491.68 km 2 of natural habitats. Based on these results, it can be concluded that the overall effectiveness of the SAC system in the Czech Republic, which is specifically aimed at protecting natural habitats, is low (NCEI = 0.36). Nevertheless, the critically endangered habitats receive maximum protection (NCEI = 1).

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the strongly anthropogenically altered Europe, nearly all PAs (90%) are smaller than 10 km 2 (Gaston et al 2008), which makes it really difficult, for example, to effectively protect populations of large vertebrates (Kovarik et al 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effectiveness of Natura 2000 system for habitat types protection: A case study from the Czech Republic

Pechanec¹,

Machar²,

Pohanka³

et al. 2018

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“…Successful management aimed at maintaining bird species in woodlands affected by fragmentation needs to ensure there is protection and/or rehabilitation of ground vegetation and overstorey, as pointed out by Montague-Drake et al [65] in relation to temperate woodlands of Australia. In temperate hardwood forests ground vegetation can be seriously disturbed by ungulate browsing with consequences for bird diversity [66] due to the absence of large predators [67]. Thus, we should also take into account ungulate management on the landscape scale [68,69].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bird Diversity as a Support Decision Tool for Sustainable Management in Temperate Forested Floodplain Landscapes

et al. 2019

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Sustainably managed forests provide multiple ecosystem services in cultural landscapes, including maintaining biodiversity. Better understanding of the benefits regarding the biodiversity of different silvicultural practices is important for sustainable landscape management. Conservation targets in forested landscapes should be determined by land managers and policy-makers, based on serious ecological research. This study deals with response of bird diversity to three different habitat types of temperate hardwood floodplain forests, which reflect specific forms of forest management. Research was based on long-term field bird census in the years 1998 to 2002 applying the point count method. Data was analysed using regression analysis with dummy variables. The results of the study indicate that hardwood floodplain forest heterogeneity, supported by different types of forest management (old-growth forest protection, group-selection harvesting and forest edge protection), provides large-scale habitat mosaic conditions suitable for many breeding bird species with different ecological niches. This result suggests that comparison of bird diversity response to different forest management types can be used as a decision support tool for sustainable landscape management strategy and local management practices in forested cultural lowland landscapes. Improvements in both regional and local ecological knowledge are generally needed in order to control floodplain land use decisions, which are typically made on the scale of landscape management. 2 of 15 above transition zones, below which, species loss is likely to occur. Forest ecosystems are crucial in maintaining climate, biodiversity and human well-being [7]. At the landscape scale, the benefits produced by forests are strongly influenced by forest management [8]. This is especially important in cultural lowland landscapes along large rivers, areas which have suffered from a significant decline in riparian floodplain forests [9].In the European temperate zone, hardwood floodplain forests (HFF) are endangered habitats. HFF provide various important ecosystem services in the lowland landscapes [10]. Land use changes and land use intensification induced by human activities are closely connected to the current ecological status of HFF in many European regions [11]. Despite centuries of intense human pressure, HFF are forest ecosystems with very rich alpha-biodiversity on the scale of individual trees and on the scale of forest stands [12,13]. A mosaic of floodplain forest habitats (including rivers and wetlands) creates a unique ecological gradient of beta-biodiversity [14]. Thus, HFF are key ecosystems in the maintenance of biodiversity on the scale of lowland riparian landscapes [15]. Because of their high biodiversity value, the natural and semi-natural remnants of HFF are usually included in ecological networks in a landscape [16]. They are also protected within the framework of international (such as the Natura 2000 European Network) or national systems for protected area...

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“…Population abundance estimated by hunters in Beskydy was almost ten times lower than in Orava region, according to hunters’ reports (Table 1). In addition, the amount of claimed wolf damages on sheep were low in Beskydy (16.3±14.5 sheep/year) showing a negative trend over time [7]. …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Only the wolf population inhabiting Sierra Morena (Spain) shows the opposite pattern, being now at the edge of extirpation [2]. Different factors have been linked to the recovery processes observed for large carnivores in Europe, such as relative political stability following the World War II, the rule of law, favourable conservation legislation, land abandonment together with the recovery of forests and prey populations, and maintenance and revival of traditional livestock management practices [1,3–7]. …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trans-Boundary Edge Effects in the Western Carpathians: The Influence of Hunting on Large Carnivore Occupancy

Kutal

Váňa²,

Suchomel

et al. 2016

PLoS ONE

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The conservation and management of wolves Canis lupus in the periphery of their distribution is challenging. Edges of wolf distribution are characterized by very few and intermittent occurrences of individuals, which are modulated by multiple factors affecting the overall population such as human-caused mortality, management targets and food availability. The knowledge of population dynamics in the edges becomes crucial when hunting takes place nearby the edges, which may preclude population expansion. Here, using as example the occurrence of wolves in the Beskydy Mountains (Czech-Slovak border), which are the edge distribution of the wolf and Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx populations in the West Carpathians, we explored how food availability and hunting in the Slovakian core area affected the dynamics of wolves in the edges of this population. During 2003–2012, we monitored large carnivore occurrence by snow-tracking surveys and tested potential differences in the occurrence of these species in Beskydy Mountains and potential mechanisms behind detected patterns. Despite the proximity to the core area, with several wolf reproductions being confirmed at least in recent years, the wolf was a very rare species in Beskydy and was recorded 14 times less often than the lynx. The expected abundance of wolves in the Beskydy Mountains was inversely related to prey availability in the Slovakian core area. Wolf hunting the year before influenced the expected abundance of wolves in Beskydy area. We discuss how different life histories and legal status of both species probably account for most of the observed difference of occurrence at range margins.

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Sheep and wolves: Is the occurrence of large predators a limiting factor for sheep grazing in the Czech Carpathians?

Cited by 26 publications

References 26 publications

Effectiveness of Natura 2000 system for habitat types protection: A case study from the Czech Republic

Effectiveness of Natura 2000 system for habitat types protection: A case study from the Czech Republic

Bird Diversity as a Support Decision Tool for Sustainable Management in Temperate Forested Floodplain Landscapes

Trans-Boundary Edge Effects in the Western Carpathians: The Influence of Hunting on Large Carnivore Occupancy

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