Wolf ecology and predation behavior: a conflict minimization strategy towards sustainable livestock breeding
Φόρτωση...
Ημερομηνία
Συγγραφείς
Petridou, Maria
Πετρίδου, Μαρία
Τίτλος Εφημερίδας
Περιοδικό ISSN
Τίτλος τόμου
Εκδότης
Πανεπιστήμιο Ιωαννίνων. Σχολή Επιστημών Υγείας. Τμήμα Βιολογικών Εφαρμογών και Τεχνολογιών
University of Ioannina. School of Health Sciences. Department of Biological Applications & Technology
University of Ioannina. School of Health Sciences. Department of Biological Applications & Technology
Περίληψη
Τύπος
Είδος δημοσίευσης σε συνέδριο
Είδος περιοδικού
Είδος εκπαιδευτικού υλικού
Όνομα συνεδρίου
Όνομα περιοδικού
Όνομα βιβλίου
Σειρά βιβλίου
Έκδοση βιβλίου
Συμπληρωματικός/δευτερεύων τίτλος
Περιγραφή
Livestock depredation is the primary driver of wolf-human conflict worldwide, threatening wolf conservation and impacting human livelihoods. To achieve sustainable coexistence between wolves and human communities, it is crucial to understand both ecological and social factors.
To address the challenges of wolf-livestock conflicts in Greece, this thesis adopts a multi-disciplinary approach, exploring wolf feeding habits, spatiotemporal patterns in relation to human disturbance, the influence of livestock husbandry practices on wolf depredation, and the broader challenges faced by livestock farming communities.
To assess the feeding habits of wolves, we analyzed 123 scat samples from a mixed
agricultural, forested, and human-dominated area, centered on the municipality of
Domokos in central continental Greece. We used standard laboratory procedures for scat analysis, and calculated frequency of occurrence (FO%), average volume (AV%), and biomass index (BM%) to understand diet composition and prey selectivity. The results showed a predominant reliance on domestic prey (FO%=73.5, AV%=84.8, BM%=97.2), with wild ungulates nearly absent (FO%=0.5, AV%=0.8, BM%=1.2). Grass consumption was substantial (FO%=19.5, AV%=11.0). The high dependence on livestock corroborates previous studies from Greece and southern Europe. Among domestic prey, goats emerged as the main prey and was strongly selected (FO%=46.0, AV%=61.2, BM%=64.9), followed by sheep (FO%=11.5, AV%=9.0, BM%=11.2), pig carrion and cattle ranking behind (FO%=11.5, AV%=10.1, BM%=8.7 and FO%=4.5, AV%=4.5, BM%=12.4, respectively). Seasonal variation was limited, except for increased pig carrion consumption during winter. The selection for goats likely stems from their grazing behavior. Our findings demonstrate high livestock consumption which contributes to increased wolf-human conflict. Therefore, we recommend substantial improvement of husbandry practices and restoration of wild ungulate populations to facilitate wolf-human coexistence in Greece.
We examined temporal activity and spatial patterns of wolves and eight sympatric mammals in 71 camera trap stations in Northwestern (NW) Greece. Grey wolves overlapped temporally the most with wild boars (Δ=0.84) and medium-sized mammals (Δ>0.75), moderately with brown bears (Δ=0.70), and least with roe deer (Δ=0.46). All wild mammals 16 were mainly nocturnal and exhibited low temporal overlap with human disturbance (humans, vehicles, livestock, and dogs; Δ=0.18-0.36), apart from roe deer, which were more diurnal (Δ=0.80). Six out of nine species increased their nocturnality at sites of high human disturbance, particularly roe deer and wolves. The detection of wolves was negatively associated with paved roads, the detection of roe deer was negatively associated with human disturbance, and the detection of wild boars was negatively associated with dogs. Detection of bears, boars, and foxes increased closer to settlements. We investigated the influence of husbandry practices on wolf depredation losses for 70 sheep/goat and 68 cattle herds with quantitative modeling of data from semi-structured interviews of livestock farmers along a livestock damage gradient in NW Greece. Sheep/goat herds were better protected than cattle herds in seven preventive measures and annual losses of sheep/goat livestock units were three times lower than losses of cattle livestock units in our study area. Furthermore, according to national compensation data from Greece, costs paid for cattle have doubled in recent years, whereas they have been cut in half for sheep/goats. Our modeling identified three core preventive measures that significantly reduced wolf depredation risk for both herd types, namely increased shepherd surveillance, systematic night confinement, and an adequate number of livestock guardian dogs (optimal ratio was 3 Greek guardian dogs per 100 sheep/goats and 7 guardian dogs per 100 cattle). Keeping young livestock in enclosures and not abandoning livestock carcasses in pastures were additional effective preventive measures for cattle herds.
Conventional approaches to mitigating wolf-human conflict often overlook the broader socioeconomic context and challenges faced by farming communities. Wolves can become scapegoats for broader issues such as economic disadvantages, policy deficiencies, and rural depopulation. Here, we performed semi-structured interviews with 118 livestock farmers and examined (a) farmers' profiles and wolf-related interactions, (b) farmers' professional challenges and suggestions for improvement, (c) reasons behind perceiving wolves as a major problem, and (d) the impact of wolf presence on job dissatisfaction. The farmers generally had low specialized education levels and low job satisfaction, particularly regarding income. Many farmers faced difficulties in affording or finding shepherds, especially sheep/goat farmers. Incidents of guardian dog poisoning were prevalent, 17 especially among sheep/goat farmers. Farmers expressed general dissatisfaction with the damage compensation system. Key challenges faced by farmers included economic marginalization, wolf presence, climatic factors, lack of grazeland planning policy, insufficient infrastructure, distrust in policy, rural depopulation and lack of services. Farmers who perceived wolves as more of a problem also implemented weaker preventive measures and moved their herds in long distances (>20 km). Job satisfaction was negatively associated with the presence of wolves, livestock type (sheep/goat vs cattle), and economic marginalization. Our study showed that, while wolves raise challenges and reduce job satisfaction for livestock farmers, they are not the most critical issue in the sector. Economic, policy, and infrastructure challenges can have a more substantial impact on farmers' livelihoods, especially when coupled with low specialized education levels.
In conclusion, our study has significant implications for wolf conservation and human- wildlife coexistence. High livestock consumption generally leads to increased human-wolf conflict, underlining the need for substantial improvement of husbandry practices and restoration of wild ungulate populations. Furthermore, our study provides evidence that can inform the subsidizing policy of the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy. It can also serve to inform or revise wildlife-livestock conflict mitigation policy in countries challenged with the competing goals of conserving large carnivores while maintaining traditional grazing regimes. Moreover, it emphasizes the importance of educational opportunities to modernize farming practices and advocate for supportive policies such as price increases, improved infrastructure, financial aid, and grazing management plans to ensure the long-term sustainability of livestock farming. Addressing farmers' concerns about wolves through effective depredation mitigation and fair compensation systems is vital for promoting coexistence.
Περιγραφή
Λέξεις-κλειδιά
Canis lupus, Husbandry practices, Livestock depredation, Diet, Camera trapping, Spatiotemporal patterns, Human dimension, Wolf-human conflict
Θεματική κατηγορία
Ecology
Παραπομπή
Σύνδεσμος
Γλώσσα
en
Εκδίδον τμήμα/τομέας
Πανεπιστήμιο Ιωαννίνων. Σχολή Επιστημών Υγείας. Τμήμα Βιολογικών Εφαρμογών και Τεχνολογιών
University of Ioannina. School of Health Sciences. Department of Biological Applications & Technology
University of Ioannina. School of Health Sciences. Department of Biological Applications & Technology
Όνομα επιβλέποντος
Kati, Vassiliki
Εξεταστική επιτροπή
Gimenez, Olivier
Benson, John F
Halley, John M
Sotiropoulos, Konstantinos
Batsidis, Apostolos
Youlatos, Dionisios
Benson, John F
Halley, John M
Sotiropoulos, Konstantinos
Batsidis, Apostolos
Youlatos, Dionisios
Γενική Περιγραφή / Σχόλια
Ίδρυμα και Σχολή/Τμήμα του υποβάλλοντος
Πανεπιστήμιο Ιωαννίνων. Σχολή Επιστημών Υγείας. Τμήμα Βιολογικών Εφαρμογών & Τεχνολογιών
University of Ioannina. School of Health Sciences. Department of Biological Applications & Technology
University of Ioannina. School of Health Sciences. Department of Biological Applications & Technology
Πίνακας περιεχομένων
Χορηγός
This research is co-financed by Greece and the European Union (European Social Fund- ESF) through the Operational Programme «Human Resources Development, Education and Lifelong Learning» in the context of the project “Strengthening Human Resources Research Potential via Doctorate Research” – 2nd Cycle (MIS-5000432), implemented by the State Scholarships Foundation (ΙΚΥ).
Βιβλιογραφική αναφορά
Ονόματα συντελεστών
Αριθμός σελίδων
206 σ.
Λεπτομέρειες μαθήματος
Συλλογές
item.page.endorsement
item.page.review
item.page.supplemented
item.page.referenced
Άδεια Creative Commons
Άδεια χρήσης της εγγραφής: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States