IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| L¢pez-Bao, J.V.; Kaczensky, P.; Linnell, J.D.C.; Boitani, L.; Chapron, G. | |
| Carnivore coexistence: Wilderness not required | |
| 2015 Science (348): 871-872 | |
Our report "Recovery of large carnivores in Europe's modern human-dominated landscapes" (19 December 2014, p. 1517) generated a series of Letters, published in the 23 January issue, concerning the importance of wilderness for large carnivore conservation ("Carnivore coexistence: Value the wilderness," J. J. Gilroy _et al_., p. 382; "Carnivore coexistence: America's recovery," M. E. Gompper _et al_., p. 382; "Carnivore coexistence: Trophic cascades," T. M. Newsome and W. J. Ripple, p. 383). Gilroy _et al_. claim that the recovery of large carnivores in Europe is contingent on wilderness and protected areas. However, barely 13% of the European Natura 2000 network contains relatively undisturbed natural habitat (_1_), and the majority of protected areas in Europe are too small and isolated to house even single individuals, let alone sustain viable large carnivore populations (_2_). We by no means argue for a rollback on protected area designation or on the importance of conserving remaining wilderness. We simply argue that European carnivores are not among the species whose conservation depends on either of these conservation strategies. |
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