Abstract
Governments around the world invest considerable resources to reduce damages caused by large carnivores on human property. To use these investments more efficiently and effectively, we need to understand which interventions successfully prevent such damages and which do not. In the European Union, the LIFE program represents by far the largest financial instrument to help EU Member States with the implementation of conservation activities, including mitigation of damages caused by large carnivores. However, we currently lack information about the effectiveness of this funding program in reducing carnivore damages. We reviewed 135 LIFE projects dealing with large carnivores between 1992 and 2019 to provide an overview of the use of damage prevention methods and evaluate their functional and perceived effectiveness. Methods evaluated ranged from non-lethal and lethal interventions, to information dissemination and compensation schemes. The largest number of the projects was focused on grey wolf (Canis lupus) and brown bears (Ursus arctos) in the Mediterranean countries and in Romania. Electric fences were reported as the most successful method for reducing damages by large carnivores, and most of the non-lethal methods used showed at least moderate effectiveness. However, standards of measuring and reporting effectiveness were in general relatively low, which limits our ability to measure actual impact. We urge project managers and evaluators to improve these standards, as well as the dissemination of the project results. We provide a list of recommendations for improving measuring and reporting success of implemented interventions for the benefit of future projects aimed to reduce damages caused by wildlife.
Highlights
The predatory behavior of large carnivores, threatening livestock, pets and, sometimes, human safety, often represent the main factor opposing the landscape-sharing approach to coexist with these species (López-Bao et al, 2017; Treves and Karanth, 2003; VanEeden et al, 2018a, 2018b; Woodroffe et al, 2005)
None of the projects focused on wolverine or Iberian lynx included damage mitigation method (DMM), these two species were not included in further analysis
Most LIFE projects aimed to mitigate damages caused by these species have been conducted in the Mediterranean countries (Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece) and Romania
Summary
The predatory behavior of large carnivores, threatening livestock, pets and, sometimes, human safety, often represent the main factor opposing the landscape-sharing approach to coexist with these species (López-Bao et al, 2017; Treves and Karanth, 2003; Van. Eeden et al, 2018a, 2018b; Woodroffe et al, 2005). The recolonization of former territories is raising challenging conservation issues, including damages, fear for personal safety, as well as conflicts between different interest groups on how to conserve large carnivores (Boitani et al, 2015; Hovardas and Marsden, 2018; Treves et al, 2004). While some groups are concerned with carnivore conservation and welcome their recolonization, others
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