Changes in land use in the spread of wild ungulates

In recent decades there has been an expansion of the areas occupied by wild ungulates, SINC Pelayo Acevedo, senior study author and researcher in the Department of Animal Biology, University of Malaga.

Wild ungulates such as wild boar ( Sus scrofa ) are expanded in Andalusia. Image: Pelayo Acevedo.

The study, published in Landscape Ecology , found temporal changes in landscape structure and how these changes affect the distribution past (60s), present ('90) and future (to 2040) of roe deer ( Capreolus capreolus ), ibex ( Capra pyrenaica ), deer ( Cervus elaphus ) and wild boar ( Sus scrofa ) in Spain.

According to Acevedo, wild ungulates were more limited in the past than they are today. "The environmental favorability models obtained with this is more widely distributed than past models," says the researcher. The current expansion of wild ungulates also occurs in the rest of Europe, but unevenly in different species and countries.

Changes in land use appear to have established the expansion of all species studied, but "was not the only factor." In the case of certain species like the deer, the expansion has been "a process accelerated by human intervention," say the authors. However, anthropogenic activity has not affected them all alike.

"The expansion of these species in recent decades in Spain is also related to government protection measures primarily aimed at regulating hunting pressure and to a lesser extent, human mobility," says the study.

A long-term expansion

The results suggest that changes in land use in recent decades are "at least partly responsible for the current expansion of wild ungulates, the researcher specific. If the current trend of changes is kept, it is expected that these species, except the mountain goat, continue to expand their range in the near future in Spain.

According to scientists, the areas currently identified as "favorable" to the distribution of these animals, will also be in the future. In addition to these areas, "expect to see new spots for this species," says the author.

In the case of wild ungulates continue to expand throughout the century, the research team aims to improve the knowledge about them to ensure their conservation and their environment.

References:
Acevedo, Pelayo; Farfan, Miguel Angel; Marquez, Ana Luz, Delibes-Mateos, Miguel Real, Raimundo; Vargas, Juan Mario. "Past, present and future of wild ungulates in relation to Change in land use" Landscape Ecology 26 (1): 19-31, January 2011. DOI 10.1007/s10980-010-9538-2

Source: SINC