The First Report on the Ecology and Distribution of the Wolf Population in Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park

Abstract

The Apennine wolf (Canis lupus italicus, Altobello, 1921) is currently experiencing a period of great population change. Any information that helps to understand this transformation will be valuable for managing it. Here we provide, for the first time, quantitative data (habitat suitability, segregation, seasonal activity, daily time budget, social structure and sex-ratio) on the population of Italian wolf from the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park, the largest protected area in Italy, that houses a rising population. Using transects to locate signs and traces, we have identified 224 presence points, useful for elaborating the ecological suitability map for the wolf, in and around the Park. The suitable area expands up to 1042.65 km2, with elevation being the strongest predictive variable affecting the species. The model predicts two main suitable patches (Alburni Mountains and Cervati/Motola Mountains), and at least seven remote areas, differently linked to each other by ecological corridors. Camera-trapping information was collected in the two suitable patches (Alburni and Cervati/Motola) for the wolf and revealed some characteristics of this population. The highest number of wolves was recorded in May and December, and during the night, depending on the reproductive behavior and dynamic of dispersion. Single individuals and couples (at least 3 recorded) are observed more frequently than groups (maximum of 3 groups that varied from three to eight individuals). The sex-ratio in the population, inferred by camera-trapping, showed a balanced population, with males found to be group leader in 91% of the cases. Furthermore, genetic analysis revealed that the males were in charge of marking the territory in 86% of cases. Our data increases the knowledge of the wolf population from Cilento, which seemed to have stopped at the 1990s, until now. Our contribution could be helpful in defining a wolf management strategy in the National Park, as well as in the other regions of the Apennine mountains and Alps, where the wolf is expanding, aiming also at coexistence with local human communities.