Land use effects on habitat suitability and metapopulation dynamics of the European bison
Investigator(s)
Principal investigator:
Tobias Kuemmerle, Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
E-mail: kummerle(at)wisc.edu
Abstract
Land use is one of the main drivers of global biodiversity decline but the relationship of socioeconomic change, land use, habitat fragmentation, and wildlife populations remains poorly understood. Eastern Europe experienced drastic changes in politics and socioeconomics after the fall of the Iron Curtain, resulting in widespread land use change. The overarching goal of our project is to better understand land use effects on wildlife and biodiversity by studying how population viability of the European bison has changed due to recent land use changes in Eastern Europe. This project is the first to assess population viability for the entire range of a species at a continental scale. It generates insights on habitat preferences, habitat availability, and population dynamics of the European bison, which is important for bison conservation. Scientifically most importantly, the project contributes to our understanding of how land use change and habitat fragmentation affect wildlife populations, and ultimately biodiversity.
URL
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