Recovery of large carnivores in Europe’s modern human-dominated landscapes

• DOI: 10.1126/science.1257553
• Publication Date: 2014-12-19T08:12:06Z
• Authors: Guillaume Chapron; Petra Kaczensky; John D. C. Linnell; Manuela von Arx; Djuro Huber; Henrik Andrén; José Vicente Lópe...; Michal Adamec; Francisco Álvares; Ole Anders; Linas Balčiauskas; Vaidas Balys; Péter Bedő; Ferdinand Bego; Juan Carlos Blanco; Urs Breitenmoser; Henrik Brøseth; Luděk Bufka; Raimonda Bunikyte; Paolo Ciucci; Alexander Dutsov; Thomas Engleder; Christian Fuxjäger; Claudio Groff; Katja Holmala; Bledi Hoxha; Yorgos Iliopoulos; Ovidiu Ionescu; Jasna Jeremić; Klemen Jerina; Gesa Kluth; Felix Knauer; Ilpo Kojola; Ivan Kos; Miha Krofel; Jakub Kubala; Saša Kunovac; Josip Kusak; Miroslav Kutal; Olof Liberg; Aleksandra Majić; Peep Männil; Ralph Manz; Eric Marboutin; Francesca Marucco; Dime Melovski; Kujtim Mersini; Yorgos Mertzanis; Robert W. Mysłajek; Sabina Nowak; John Odden; Janis Ozolins; Guillermo Palomero; Milan Paunović; Jens Persson; Hubert Potočnik; Pierre-Yves Quenette; Georg Rauer; Ilka Reinhardt; Robin Rigg; Andreas Ryser; Valeria Salvatori; Tomaž Skrbinšek; Aleksandar Stojanov; Jon E. Swenson; László Szemethy; Aleksandër Trajçe; Elena Tsingarska-...; Martin Váňa; Rauno Veeroja; Petter Wabakken; Manfred Wölfl; Sybille Wölfl; Fridolin Zimmermann; Diana Zlatanova; Luigi Boitani
• Keywords: 0106 biological sciences; Gulo gulo; Conservation of Natural Resources; Wolves; conservation; Bear; Conservation; Europe; Large carnivores; Lynx; Wolf; Wolverline; Biodiversity; 15. Life on land; Animals; Biodiversity; Europe; Humans; Conservation of Natural Resources; Lynx; Mustelidae; Ursidae; Wolves; Lynx lynx; 01 natural sciences; Canis lupus; Ursus arctos; large carnivores ; status ; recovery ; Europe; Europe; large carnivores; Lynx; Mustelidae; Animals; Humans; Ursidae; info:eu-repo/classification/udc/630*15

The conservation of large carnivores is a formidable challenge for biodiversity conservation. Using a data set on the past and current status of brown bears (Ursus arctos), Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), gray wolves (Canis lupus), and wolverines (Gulo gulo) in European countries, we show that roughly one-third of mainland Europe hosts at least one large carnivore species, with stable or increasing abundance in most cases in 21st-century records. The reasons for this overall conservation success include protective legislation, supportive public opinion, and a variety of practices making coexistence between large carnivores and people possible. The European situation reveals that large carnivores and people can share the same landscape.