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I innstilling 257 L (2016-2017) ba Stortinget den norske regjeringen om å foreta en faglig gjennomgang av den norske delbestanden av ulv, med den begrunnelse at en selvstendig utredning av hva som kan defineres som en levedyktig bestand av ulv i Norge aldri tidligere har vært gjennomført. Klima- og miljødepartementet ga Miljødirektoratet (MD) i oppdrag å følge opp dette arbeidet, med følgende spesifikasjoner: Gjennomgangen må omfatte en levedyktighetsanalyse for ulvebestanden i Norge, utredningen må ta hensyn til at bestanden deles med Sverige, og dermed må vurderingen omfatte både den norske delbestanden og den samlede sør-skandinaviske bestanden. Klima- og miljødepartementet anbefalte å dele arbeidet inn i to faser, der den første skulle gjennomgå tidligere arbeider, samt ulike begreper og faguttrykk som forekommer i forskrifter og lovverk, og dermed legge grunnlaget for en levedyktighetsanalyse i andre fase. Departementet påpekte at arbeidet med dette oppdraget må ha et strengt faglig perspektiv, og ikke være bundet til hensyn av premissene som ligger i dagens politikk. Som første fase av utredningen ga MD Høgskolen i Innlandet oppgaven med å koordinere en workshop med et ekspertpanel, inkludert juridisk ekspertise og ekspertise i levedyktighetsanalyser, for å diskutere parametere som er relevante for gjennomføringen av fase to. Workshopen ble gjennomført 5. til 6. mars 2020, og denne rapporten oppsummerer diskusjonene og konklusjonene fra workshopen. Hovedkonklusjoner: Fra et biologisk perspektiv kan ulvebestanden i Skandinavia ikke deles i delpopulasjoner definert av administrative grenser. Den felles skandinaviske ulvebestanden deles mellom Norge og Sverige, og er knyttet til den større nord-/sentraleuropeiske metapopulasjonen gjennom innvandring. Derfor vil en egen bestandsanalyse for Norge ikke være biologisk meningsfylt. Levedyktighetsanalyser av den skandinaviske ulvebestanden er allerede gjennomført. Fra et juridisk perspektiv, under nasjonal og internasjonal lov, er Norge forpliktet til å opprettholde arter og deres genetiske mangfold på lang sikt og å sikre at arter forekommer i levedyktige bestander i deres naturlige utbredelsesområder. Imidlertid fremstår Norges tolkning av deres forpliktelser overfor Bernkonvensjonen noe uklar, her illustrert med to ytterpunkter som ble diskutert under workshopen: • Hvis Norge kun forplikter seg til å bidra til en felles bestand bør en enkelt yngling kunne være nok, gitt at Sverige opprettholder en levedyktig bestand. • Hvis Norge tar det fulle ansvaret trenger Norge en levedyktig bestand alene, samt å sikre forbindelsen til den større metapopulasjonen. Juridisk sett er det klart at hvert land som er part i konvensjonen har eneansvaret for å utvikle og gjennomføre de tiltak som det har akseptert i henhold til konvensjonen, på nasjonalt territorium. Denne uoverensstemmelsen mellom den biologiske virkeligheten (grenseoverskridende bestander) og den juridiske virkeligheten (de enkeltes lands juridiske forpliktelser) er en utfordring. Hvorvidt en fremtidig grenseoverskridende forvaltningsplan er vellykket, og biologisk og juridisk levedyktig, er imidlertid avhengig av at begge aspekter tas på alvor. Et trinn i retning av en mer koordinert forvaltning vil være å øke samarbeidet og legge grunnlaget for en gjensidig avtale mellom Sverige og Norge om et felles bestandsmål og en fordeling mellom de to landene. Dette vil potensielt også gi større fleksibilitet for å oppfylle forpliktelsene under Bernkonvensjonen, samt økt forutsigbarhet og robusthet i skandinavisk ulveforvaltning. De juridiske vilkårene for en slik grenseoverskridende tilnærming må utforskes nærmere. For koordinert, kunnskapsbasert forvaltning av den felles skandinaviske ulvebestanden, vil en god forståelse av effektene av faktorer som lovlig og ulovlig jakt, og forbindelsen til den større metapopulasjonen, være av stor betydning. Spørsmålet om tilføring av nytt genetisk materiale bør prioriteres høyt, ettersom innvandring fra Russland sannsynligvis vil påvirke den genetiske variasjonen i Finland og Skandinavia. For å utforske hvordan ulike scenarier kan forventes å påvirke bestanden over tid, vil det være nyttig å utvikle en felles bestandsmodell for den skandinaviske ulvebestanden, som kan oppdateres fortløpende med nye data. For et større fennoskandisk perspektiv anbefales også informasjonsdeling med Finland og Russland.

Ramon & Cajal research contract (RYC-2015-18932) from the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness

Finding effective ways of conserving large carnivores is widely recognised as a priority in conservation. However, there is\ud disagreement about the most effective way to do this, with some favouring top-down ‘command and control’ approaches\ud and others favouring collaboration. Arguments for coercive top-down approaches have been presented elsewhere; here\ud we present arguments for collaboration. In many parts of the developed world, flexibility of approach is built into the\ud legislation, so that conservation objectives are balanced with other legitimate goals. In the developing world, limited\ud resources, poverty and weak governance mean that collaborative approaches are likely to play a particularly important\ud part in carnivore conservation. In general, coercive policies may lead to the deterioration of political legitimacy and\ud potentially to non-compliance issues such as illegal killing, whereas collaborative approaches may lead to psychological\ud ownership, enhanced trust, learning, and better social outcomes. Sustainable hunting/trapping plays a crucial part in\ud the conservation and management of many large carnivores. There are many different models for how to conserve\ud carnivores effectively across the world, research is now required to reduce uncertainty and examine the effectiveness of\ud these approaches in different contexts.

The daily energy requirements of animals are determined by a combination of physical and physiological factors, but food availability may challenge the capacity to meet nutritional needs. Western gorillas (Gorilla gorilla) are an interesting model for investigating this topic because they are folivore-frugivores that adjust their diet and activities to seasonal variation in fruit availability. Observations of one habituated group of western gorillas in Bai-Hokou, Central African Republic (December 2004-December 2005) were used to examine seasonal variation in diet quality and nutritional intake. We tested if during the high fruit season the food consumed by western gorillas was higher in quality (higher in energy, sugar, fat but lower in fibre and antifeedants) than during the low fruit season. Food consumed during the high fruit season was higher in digestible energy, but not any other macronutrients. Second, we investigated whether the gorillas increased their daily intake of carbohydrates, metabolizable energy (KCal/g OM), or other nutrients during the high fruit season. Intake of dry matter, fibers, fat, protein and the majority of minerals and phenols decreased with increased frugivory and there was some indication of seasonal variation in intake of energy (KCal/g OM), tannins, protein/fiber ratio, and iron. Intake of non-structural carbohydrates and sugars was not influenced by fruit availability. Gorillas are probably able to extract large quantities of energy via fermentation since they rely on proteinaceous leaves during the low fruit season. Macronutrients and micronutrients, but not digestible energy, may be limited for them during times of low fruit availability because they are hind-gut fermenters. We discuss the advantages of seasonal frugivores having large dietary breath and flexibility, significant characteristics to consider in the conservation strategies of endangered species.

Habitat loss must be distinguished from habitat fragmentation so that appropriate conservation management can be applied. Few studies have evaluated the independent effects of habitat loss and habitat fragmentation on the distribution of vertebrates, and none has evaluated the independent effect of changes in structural connectivity. We carried out a landscape-scale experiment to assess the independent contribution of these three processes and to examine what landscape scale factors affect the distribution of two forest-dependent arboreal rodents: the hazel dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius and the red squirrel Sciurus vulgaris. 2.Habitat loss, rather than habitat fragmentation per se, was the major driver of distribution patterns for both species. As predicted, structural connectivity (hedgerow networks) played an important role in determining the distribution of the hazel dormouse, but not of the red squirrel. 3.Our models predict that long lengths of hedgerows (>30 km) are unlikely to increase the probability of occurrence of hazel dormouse in landscapes where there are low levels of forest cover (

Lo studio analizza la selezione degli ambienti di foraggiamento e la dieta in Myotis capaccinii, tra le specie di chirotteri mediterranei a più forte rischio di estinzione, e identifica le caratteristiche ambientali preferite per l'alimentzione da questa specie, con rilevanti implicazioni per la conservazione e la gestione degli habitat.

The aggressive and agile nature of weasels makes the use of inhalant anesthetics preferable to injectable agents because inhalant anesthetics generally reduce handling time, cause less stress and present no risk of delivering the drug into an unintended area. Here we report on the use of the inhalant anesthetic isoflurane in free ranging least weasels. We used a battery powered portable anesthesia unit (Uninventor 400 Anesthesia Unit, AgnTho’s AB, Sweden) to immobilize the animals in the field. The isoflurane liquid was filled in a syringe connected to a vaporizer where it mixed with air coming from an air pump. The animals inhaled the anesthetic first in a wooden chamber and then through a modified facial mask. Mean induction time in the anesthetic chamber was 4.8 minutes (± 0.3 SE) with a setting of 4% isoflurane. The anesthesia was maintained with the facial mask and a setting of 2% isoflurane. Mean recovery time was 16.4 minutes (± 2.1 SE) and mean recumbency time 40.7 minutes (± 2.9 SE). We anesthesized 9 animals, had no fatalities during anesthesia and all animals recovered quickly. One animal was found dead 11 days post-capture of undetermined cause. Isoflurane is safe and easy to use with the tested setting. However we were unsuccessful in monitoring the animals following their release and we therefore recommend further evaluation of the anesthetic. In addition, we recommend the use of a wooden anesthetic chamber with bedding to avoid the risk of hypothermia.

Although recent evidence of the species recovery has been reported for many European countries, in Italy the Eurasian otter Lutra lutra is still considered endangered. Otter populations are confined to few river basins in the southern part of the peninsula and these are both geographically and genetically isolated from other European populations. This critical situation led the Italian Ministry of Environment to promote the production of an Action Plan for the otter in Italy, whose methods, aims and actions are briefly summarized. Riassunto Il Piano d'Azione Nazionale per la Lontra Lutra lutra Nonostante i segnali di recupero segnalati in molti paesi europei, la lontra Lutra lutra è ancora una delle specie più minacciate della fauna italiana, in virtù delle piccole dimensioni della popolazione e del suo isolamento , sia geografico, sia genetico, dal resto delle popolazioni europee. Sulla base di queste considerazioni il Ministero dell’Ambiente e della Tutela del territorio e del Mare ha recentemente promosso la realizzazione di un Piano d’Azione Nazionale per la Conservazione della Lontra, i cui contenuti, obiettivi, e azioni sono riassunti in questo lavoro. doi:10.4404/hystrix-21.1-4483

Using data for 25,780 species categorized on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, we present an assessment of the status of the world’s vertebrates. One-fifth of species are classified as Threatened, and we show that this figure is increasing: On average, 52 species of mammals, birds, and amphibians move one category closer to extinction each year. However, this overall pattern conceals the impact of conservation successes, and we show that the rate of deterioration would have been at least one-fifth again as much in the absence of these. Nonetheless, current conservation efforts remain insufficient to offset the main drivers of biodiversity loss in these groups: agricultural expansion, logging, overexploitation, and invasive alien species.

Contains fulltext : 83436.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access) 7 p.

Detection of non-target species during distribution surveys may influence the detection of the focal species, due to bait being consumed, or trapping devices inactivated. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of non-target species (field mice, Apodemus sp.) on the detection and occupancy estimates of a target species (the red squirrel, Sciurus vulgaris) during hair-tubes surveys. Following a modelling approach that accounted for imperfect detection of both target and non-target species, we tested the hypothesis that detection probability of the red squirrel is affected by detection of field mice. We also investigated the level of bias that occurred in estimation of key-parameters such as probability of presence and detection probability. Our results show that detection of red squirrels and field mice using hair-tubes surveys is not independent. Detection probability of the red squirrel was higher when field mice did not visit the hair-tubes. Nevertheless, there was no bias in parameter estimates, therefore relatively accurate estimates would have been obtained despite this interference.

Factors affecting the distribution of species in fragmented landscapes, and their relative importance, are often unclear. Few studies have deliberately compared various hypotheses In relatively controlled conditions. Moreover, most studies to date have not incorporated false absences in their modeling. Following a multiple hypotheses testing framework, we tested the relative role of landscape structure, patch and neighborhood configuration, patch internal structure, presence or absence of predators, and presence or absence and abundance of potential competitor species on the occupancy patterns of three rodent species (Myodes glareolus (Schreber, 1780), Apodemus flavicollis (Melchior, 1934), Apodemus sylvaticus (L., 1758)) in a highly fragmented landscape in Tuscany, central Italy. Distribution patterns and occupancy dynamics of the three rodent species were affected by patch and patch neighborhood characteristics, as well as the vicinity of other patches occupied by the species. However, we found no relevant effect of the surrounding landscape structure, patch internal structure, predator patch use, and abundance or distribution of potential competitor species. The observed spatial correlation between populations and the evidence of colonization or extinction events suggest that a metapopulation approach could provide a good framework for understanding the long-term dynamics of the populations.

BioScore offers a European biodiversity impact assessment tool. The tool contains indicator values on the ecological preferences of more than 1000 species of birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, fish, butterflies, dragonflies, aquatic macro-invertebrates and vascular plants. These values are linked to policy-related pressures and environmental variables.