Supporting grassland biodiversity by traditional Hungarian Grey cattle grazing: The magnitude of weed suppression and biodiversity effects are changing along moisture gradient

Conservation of grassland biodiversity is a vital issue worldwide. Extensively managed pastures are of crucial importance in sustaining biodiversity both at a local- and a landscape-level. Most of Europe's former extensive pastures became either intensively used or abandoned. These led to unfavourable changes in species composition, resulting a  loss of biodiversity and linked ecosystem functions and services like biological control, pollination and seed dispersal. History, culture and tradition also suggest the re-introduction of traditional extensive grazing by local breeds. Traditional low-intensity grazing is important in (i) sustaining biodiversity, (ii) in the facilitation of the immigration and establishment of target species and (iii) in the suppression of noxious species. Less attention was given to the suppression of noxious species compared to the first two issues. Cattle grazing is especially suitable for sustaining grassland biodiversity, because of its lower selectivity compared to sheep or horse grazing. However, the effects of cattle grazing strongly depend on the cattle breed, and the duration and intensity of grazing. 

 

Fig. 1. Traditional Hungarian Grey cattle grazing in the Hortobágy Puszta (East-Hungary, photo by Balázs Deák).

To mimic natural grazing regimes of grasslands traditional cattle grazing with robust breeds (e.g. Heck cattle or Hungarian Grey cattle) in low stocking rates are considered to be proper.. Thus, this kind of management is increasingly introduced in nature conservation and restoration practice in many parts of Europe.

In our paper we evaluated the effectiveness of traditional Hungarian Grey cattle grazing in suppressing noxious species in three grassland types of a mosaic alkali landscape. We tested the following questions: (i) How does cattle grazing affect species composition and diversity of the three grassland types? (ii) What are the effects of grazing on short-lived and perennial noxious species? (iii) Are there distinct effects of grazing for dry-, mesophilous- and wet grassland types?

Our results demonstrated that grazing by Hungarian Grey cattle strongly affected the species richness and composition even in the short run. We also detected a remarkable effect on the specific heights: in all studied grassland types the cover-weighted specific heights were significantly lower in grazed plots. This was due to grazing benefitted creeping and rosette-forming species like Plantago lanceolata, P. major, P. media, Taraxacum officinale, Trifolium repens and Polygonum aviculare.

Our results suggest that the traditional grazing by Hungarian Grey cattle have beneficial effects already in the short run by the suppression of noxious species in all studied grassland types. The increase in biodiversity in mesophilous and wet grasslands was likely caused by the high rate of suppression of tall-growing noxious competitor species Elymus repens and Phragmites communis.

We found that the effect of grazing was quite different in grassland types along the dry-mesophilous-wet gradient with the same stocking rates (1 cattle/ha). It was the most expressed in the wet grassland type, although yearly fluctuations were also the highest here. Moderate yearly fluctuations were detected in the dry grassland, but compositional changes were more directed and not likely influenced by year-to-year differences (i.e. by precipitation differences). The effects were intermediate in the mesophilous grasslands between the two other grassland types. We can conclude that extensive Hungarian Grey cattle grazing is effective even in the short run to suppress noxious species and to create a mosaic vegetation structure of short- and tall species, which enables to maintain high species richness in the landscape. In addition, Hungarian Grey cattle can feed in open habitats along a moisture gradient from dry grasslands to wet habitats including also alkali marshes. Thus, in highly mosaic landscapes it is better suited for grazing management than other non-traditional livestock types, which need a more homogeneous vegetation structure.

For more detailed information read our open access paper entitled ‘Traditional cattle grazing in a mosaic alkali landscape: Effects on grassland biodiversity along a moisture gradient’ published in PLOS One which you can freely download here. 

Contact addresses 

Péter TÖRÖK, Orsolya VALKÓ, Balázs DEÁK, András KELEMEN, Béla TÓTHMÉRÉSZ

MTA-DE Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Research Group

E-mail addresses:
molinia@gmail.com (PT)
valkoorsi@gmail.com (OV)
debalazs@gmail.com (BD)
kelemen.andras12@gmail.com (AK)
tothmerb@gmail.com (BT)

Prescribed burning is a promising option in managing grassland biodiversity in Europe

There are serious debates on the application of prescribed burning in grassland biodiversity conservation in Europe. Some conservationists highly welcome prescribed fire, while others are strongly against it. These contrasting attitudes are likely due to the lack of proper scientific knowledge on both short- and long-term effects of fires on grassland biodiversity in Europe. The international and national media often reports on damages in nature, human life and property caused by catastrophic wildfires and arson, which further increases the negative attitude towards even controlled and carefully designed prescribed fires.

To provide a quantitative analysis of fire effects on grassland species, prescribed burning studies offer the most proper source of information. Our recent review evaluated the results of European attempts to use prescribed burning in grassland management and assessed whether or not the targeted objectives were achieved. Prescribed burning studies from North-America were selected as a reference system to identify which elements of fine-tuned fire management can be adapted to the European grassland conservation strategy.

The effects of fire on European grasslands are rarely documented; there were only 11 publications available about prescribed fires in European grasslands. Most studies applied dormant-season burning on an annual basis and concluded that annual burning solely is not feasible for maintaining the targeted structure and composition of grasslands. Obviously, too frequent burning did not allow the vegetation to recover between burns.

In North-America prescribed burning is widely and successfully used for nature conservation purposes in grasslands. Thus, there is a need for focused case studies to test whether the well-developed North-American burning regimes can be adapted to the European grassland conservation strategy. The review paper indicates the most promising management objectives of prescribed burning experiments in European grasslands.

Both European and North-American studies found that dormant-season burning can effectively reduce accumulated biomass and litter but has only minor effects on the flora and fauna. Prescribed burning could be tested on sites where management by grazing or mowing is not feasible, like in grasslands located far from farms or settlements.

Some studies mentioned positive effects of burning on several rare or protected species by creating suitable germination microsites or warmer and drier microclimate. Focused case studies on certain target species could be integrated in future conservation actions. However, burning is not recommended on sites, where remnant populations of endangered species are present.

 

Fig.1 Pulsatilla pratensis ssp. hungarica (up) and Fritillaria meleagris (down) are endangered species of sandy grasslands. Carefully timed prescribed fires can provide suitable microsites for their germination. 

Based on North-American studies, patch-burning management (combination of fire and grazing) increases structural and functional diversity. In extended grassland areas, prescribed burning can also be a proper tool for preventing huge and uncontrolled wildfires and contributes to the protection of personal safety and private property. In extended open landscapes, like Central- and Eastern European steppes introduction of patch-burning management would also increase landscape-level heterogeneity.

 

Fig. 2 Hortobágy National Park holds one of the largest open landscapes in Europe, where re-introduction of patch burning could increase landscape-level heterogeneity. 

Despite the serious conservation problems caused by invasive species, fire against them has not been studied yet in Europe. In North-America, carefully designed prescribed burning is effectively used against several invasive species. Based on these studies, timing should be fine-tuned to the most susceptible period of the given invasive species. Invasion control by prescribed burning should be first tested in highly infested areas without outstanding nature conservation values to avoid damaging populations of rare species.

Based on our review, prescribed burning of grasslands might hold a great potential for the European nature conservation practice. However, further habitat-specific prescribed burning experiments are essential to find specific application circumstances and management objectives.

For more detailed information read our open access paper entitled ‘Review: Prospects and limitations of prescribed burning as a management tool in European grasslands’ published in Basic and Applied Ecology which you can freely download (Open Access) here. We hope that our review stimulates discussion and generates further research activity about prescribed burning. 

Contact addresses

Orsolya VALKÓ, Péter TÖRÖK, Balázs DEÁK, Béla TÓTHMÉRÉSZ

MTA-DE Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Research Group

E-mail addresses:
valkoorsi@gmail.com (OV)
molinia@gmail.com (PT)
debalazs@gmail.com (BD)
tothmerb@gmail.com (BT)

Rewilding abandoned landscapes in Europe

For millennia, mankind has shaped landscapes, particularly through agriculture (Figure 1). In Europe, the age-old interaction between humans and ecosystems strongly influenced the cultural heritage. Yet European farmland is now being abandoned, especially in remote areas. The loss of the traditional agricultural landscapes and its consequences for biodiversity and ecosystem services is generating concerns in both the scientific community and the public. Here we ask to what extent farmland abandonment can be considered as an opportunity for rewilding ecosystems. We analyze the perceptions of traditional agriculture in Europe and their influence in land management policies. We argue that, contrary to the common perception, traditional agriculture practices were not environmentally friendly and that the standards of living of rural populations were low. We suggest that current policies to maintain extensive farming landscapes underestimate the human labor needed to sustain these landscapes and the recent and future dynamics of the socio-economic drivers behind abandonment. We examine the potential benefits for ecosystems and people from rewilding. We identify species that could benefit from land abandonment and forest regeneration and the ecosystem services that could be provided such as carbon sequestration and recreation. Finally, we discuss the challenges associated with rewilding, including the need to maintain open areas, the fire risks, and the conflicts between people and wildlife. Despite these challenges, we argue that rewilding should be recognized by policy-makers as one of the possible land management options in Europe, particularly on marginal areas.

Figure 1. Landscape in the Peneda mountain range, Northern Portugal. Over millennia, forests were converted to scrubland, cropland and pastures. With the abandonment of agro-pastoral activities, forest is now expanding from the remnant fragments and megafauna species are increasing.

Reference

Navarro, L.M. and Pereira, H.M. (2012) Rewilding abandoned landscapes in Europe. Ecosystems, 15, 900–912.

Contributed by Prof. Henrique Miguel Pereira

Theoretical Ecology and Biodiversity Change Group, Centro de Biologia Ambiental Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal

E-mail address: hpereira@fc.ul.pt

Assessing the Natura 2000 network with a common breeding bird survey

Beside the classical biodiversity protection measures, such as Natural Reserves or National Parks which are designated by European state members, the European Union has coordinated the Natura 2000 network. This network is the most important conservation effort so far in Europe regarding coverage (ca. 17% of the terrestrial surface of Europe). The legal basis, the Bird Directive (79/409/EEC, amended 2009: 2009/147/EC) and the Habitat Directive (92/43/EEC, consolidated 2007) aim at maintaining wild species and habitat in a favourable conservation status. The network covers 12.54% of territorial France (Figure 1). France chooses to define management plans for each site through contracts between the land owner and the state. Farmland contracts are agro-environment schemes, while owners of non-agricultural lands receive incentives and tax exemptions from the state to implement measures that favour biodiversity, as defined in individual contracts. To date only half of all the sites have management plans (Debain, 2011), and management only began to be implemented in 2005.

Figure 1. Natura 2000 areas in metropolitan France (Corsica Island excluded). Blue areas are the Special Areas for Conservation, designated following the Habitat directive, orange areas are the Special Protection Areas, designated following the Bird directive.

Common species importance in ecosystem functioning is well known. Their decline could have important ecological and evolutionary consequences. Yet, the N2000 network, as well as other protection measures, hardly acknowledges their importance. Even though the Bird Directivexplicitly emphasize that every wild bird species should be protected, the only legal obligation for member state is to designate areas containing species included in the Annex1 of this directive. As this annex mainly contains threatened or rare species, common biodiversity is almost neglected.

Using the French volunteer-based breeding bird survey, we assessed whether the N2000 network was favourable to common bird species. We evaluate whether the relative abundance of the 100 most common bird species was higher inside than outside the network. We also assessed the habitat specialization and the mean trophic index of the communities inside the network.

Fifty-four (54%) species exhibited an increase in abundance with an increasing N2000 coverage in the survey plot (P < 0.05) of which 11 were farmland specialists and nine were woodland specialists (representing 55 and 43% ff the farmland and woodland species occurring in France). Six species decreased in abundance, of which two were farmland species and one was a woodland species (10 and 5% of the farmland and woodland species). There was no significant effect of N2000 coverage for the remaining 40 species (Figure2).

Figure 2. Number of species more, less or equally abundant with an increase in N2000 coverage. Species as classified according to their habitat specialization.

The Community Specialization Index (a measure of the mean habitat specialization of the community: the higher the index, the more specialized is the community) and the Bird Trophic Index (a measure of the mean trophic level: the higher, the more the community comprises top-predators) are increasing with the N2000 coverage in survey plots (Figure 3).

Figure 3. Response of (a) the Community Specialization Index and of (b) the Bird Trophic Index to the Natura 2000 coverage. Natura 2000 ratio is the proportion of the plot covered by N2000. After Pellissier et al., 2013, modified.

Thus, the N2000 network appeared to have an interesting coverage of the population of wild bird species in France. Moreover, the communities were more habitat-specialized, indicating a potential for mitigating the threats faced by the specialized species throughout Europe. It also appeared that, given the higher abundance of top-predator species within the N2000 areas, these areas were likely to harbour highly functional bird communities, as the presence of top-predator is an indicator of the presence of several trophic level.

As the management of the N2000 areas barely started in France, these increases in community measures are likely to be caused by a designation effect. This means that the N2000 areas, even though designated based upon the presence of species listed in the annexes of the directives are favourable for a large range of common bird species.

Finally, the volunteer based biodiversity surveys (such as Vigie Nature: vigienature.mnhn.fr), because of their large geographical and temporal coverage, appeared to be efficient tools to assess large scale protection networks.

References 

Debain, S. (2011). Natura 2000, le plus grand réseau écologique mondial. Espaces Naturels 36, 8 [in French].

Pellissier, V., Touroult, J., Julliard, R., Siblet, J.P. & Jiguet, F. 2013. Assessing the Natura 2000network with a common breeding bird survey. Animal Conservation. DOI: 10.1111/acv.12030

Communicated by Vincent Pellissier - UMR 7204 MNHN-CNRS-UPMC, CERSP, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France and SPN, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France. E-mail: vincent.pellissier@gmail.com 

Land abandonment and the decline of the Yellow-bellied toad in Liguria, northern Italy

Across Europe, centuries of interactions between low-intensity human activities, such as extensive small-scale farming, and the surrounding environment have created what we now call “cultural landscapes”, which provide important ecosystem services and often support a rich biodiversity. However, since the second half of the 20^th century several countries have witnessed large-scale social changes that have led to modifications in these landscape dynamics. There is growing evidence that this can also entail an impact to biodiversity, as the intermediate disturbance that can benefit species is lost or replaced by more disruptive activities (such as intensive vs. extensive farming: MacDonald 2000).

These same dynamics may be a leading factor in the disappearance of the yellow-bellied toad Bombina pachypus from peninsular Italy (Figure 1). The species has declined in the last thirty years and is now listed as Endangered by the IUCN. However, the causes of this decline are still unclear: in Liguria, northern Italy, habitat loss is believed to be the main driver, with recent systematic monitoring for the amphibian fungal disease chytridiomycosis failing to detect signs of this devastating pathogen (Canessa et al, in press).

Figure 1. The Apennine Yellow-bellied toad Bombina pachypus (photo: A. Arillo)   

In a recent study, we monitored sites across the region that were known to host the species until 2005: these were a combination of artificial sites (stone washtubs) and natural sites (small mountain creeks). We found that only five years later, in 2010, more than 50% of the populations had disappeared. When we searched for common traits among the sites where local extinctions had occurred, we found they had high densities of predators (dragonflies and newts), low insulation and dense vegetation. These in turn were linked to disturbance, with more frequent flooding and desiccation cycles beneficial in removing vegetation and predators and favouring tadpole survival.

In natural sites, flooding and desiccation are natural processes, and where they continue the species still occurs in relatively large numbers. On the other hand, in artificial sites disturbance is provided by traditional management (cleaning and dredging) (Figure 2): after land parcels or traditional practices are abandoned, sites degrade rapidly and become unsuitable. Significantly, in our study all artificial sites that had been abandoned by farmers immediately prior to or after 2005 did not host toad populations when we re-sampled them. Artificial sites that were still maintained (and therefore disturbed) were still occupied by the species. 

Figure 2. The transition between a maintained artificial water body (left) and an abandoned one unsuitable for yellow-bellied toads (right) can occur within a few years (photos: S. Canessa)

This preference for disturbed sites matches observations for other yellow-bellied toads in Europe (Warren and Büttner, 2008), provides significant information for local conservation actions, and suggests the need to link ecological and socio-economic objectives: for example, in Liguria current efforts for the conservation of the yellow-bellied toad focus on the integration of traditional practices and biodiversity conservation in new forms of human activities, such as sustainable farming or eco-tourism. On the basis of this study, the Regional Park of Monte Marcello – Magra is coordinating a project, funded by the regional administration of Liguria, which includes the recovery of several semi-natural sites and the creation of new artificial sites that can be used by local farmers whilst providing suitable habitat for the species.

The conservation of culture and biodiversity needs is deeply connected in many parts of Europe: this requires an approach that is somewhat contradictive of the usual point of view of human activities as inherently negative. However, where large scale processes such as land abandonment are involved, they may be difficult to reverse by conservation funding alone. However, where traditional practices are still widespread, it is imperative that social and environmental planning should take into account the impacts on biodiversity that the abandonment of such practices may entail.

Canessa, S.^a, Oneto, F.^b, Ottonello, D.^b, Arillo, A.^b and Salvidio, S.^b (2013). Land abandonment may reduce disturbance and affect the breeding sites of an endangered amphibian in northern Italy. Oryx, 47(2): 280-287
^a ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, School of Botany, University of Melbourne, 3010 Victoria, Australia  
^b Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, dell’Ambiente e della Vita, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy

Cited references
Canessa, S., Martel, A. and Pasmans, F. (in press). No detection of chytrid in first systematic screening of Bombina variegata pachypus (Anura: Bombinatoridae) in Liguria, northern Italy. Acta Herpetologica.
MacDonald, D., Crabtree, J.R., Wiesinger, G., Dax, T., Stamou, N., Fleury, P., Gutierrez-Lazpita, J. and Gibon, A. (2000) Agricultural abandonment in mountain areas of Europe: environmental consequences and policy response. Journal of Environmental Management, 59: 47-69.
Warren, S.D. , Büttner, R. (2008): Relationship of endangered amphibians to landscape disturbance. The Journal of Wildlife Management 72: 738-744.

Contributed by Stefano Canessa, ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, School of Botany, University of Melbourne, 3010 Victoria, Australia
E-mail: canessas@unimelb.edu.au
Personal blog: http://www.canessas.wordpress.com

How do brown bears respond to encounters with people?

Predation on livestock and occasional attacks to people are the most conflict-causing interactions between large carnivores and humans. In turn, humans cause the majority of large carnivore mortality and have caused severe population reductions and extirpations worldwide. However, some large carnivore populations are now increasing and some people living in re-colonizing areas oppose their recovery. Minimising interactions between people and carnivores and analyzing the effects of human disturbance on wildlife are major goals for the management and conservation of these species. Carnivore behavioural responses to the perceived risk of being killed by humans may ultimately influence population distribution and demography.

The bear population in Scandinavia (~3300 bears in 2008; Kindberg et al. 2011) provides a good model to analyse the interactions between an expanding large carnivore population and people that use forests extensively. GPS-collared bears were approached by Moen et al. (2012) to document their reactions when meeting people in the forest. Most bears (80%) ran away and none behaved aggressively towards the observers, reinforcing the idea that European bears are generally not aggressive to people (Moen et al. 2012).

A brown bear in Northern Europe. Photo credit: A. Ordiz

We experimentally approached 52 GPS-collared brown bears (293 approaches on foot) from 2006 to 2011, to document the reaction of bears and to quantify the effect of disturbance on bear movements. Again, none of the bears reacted aggressively to the observers.  Although the location of the animals was known, bears were usually in quite concealed spots and were physically detected in only 16% of the approaches; bears were seen in 42 approaches and heard in 6 approaches. However, the bears altered their daily movement patterns after the approaches. Bear movements increased at night and decreased during daytime (as also occurs after the start of the bear hunting seasons; Ordiz et al. 2012), which was most visible in days 1 and 2 after the approaches, altering bears’ foraging and resting routines. The shorter the distance between observers and bear and the denser the cover, the stronger the effect of the approach on bear movements, i.e. bear behaviour was especially disrupted where the bear detected humans at short distance and in the highly concealed spots where bears hide and rest during the day (Ordiz et al. 2011).

The lack of aggressive reactions to approaching observers reinforces the idea that European brown bears generally avoid people, although bears can respond aggressively if they feel threatened (e.g. when wounded). Management should secure the protection of cover where large carnivore populations persist, and the restoration of cover in areas where current carnivore recoveries are to succeed. Furthermore, people should be kept away from areas with shrub cover that provide concealment for resting carnivores during daytime, when people are outdoors. Unfortunately, the shrub layer is often destroyed, considered unproductive and/or to reduce fire risk, to increase pasture for cattle, or even to promote conservation of endangered species. Preserving cover and avoiding the most densely vegetated spots in the forests is a simple, but reliable way to avoid encounters with carnivores, which would ultimately benefit both human safety and large carnivore conservation.

Ordiz, A. ^a, Støen, O-G. ^{a, b}, Sæbo ^c, S., Sahlén, V. ^a, Pedersen, B. E. ^a, Kindberg, J. ^b & Swenson, J.E. ^a,d (2013). Lasting behavioural responses of brown bears to experimental encounters with humans. Journal of Applied Ecology, 50, 306-314 doi: 10.1111/1365-2664.12047

^a Department of Ecology and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Postbox 5003, NO-1432 Ås, Norway.

^b Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden.

^c Department of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Postbox 5003, NO-1432 Ås, Norway.

^d Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, NO-7485 Trondheim, Norway.

Cited references

Kindberg, J., Swenson, J.E., Ericsson, G., Bellemain, E., Miquel, C. & Taberlet, P. (2011) Estimating population size and trends of the Swedish brown bear Ursus arctos population. Wildlife Biology, 17, 114-123.

Moen, G.K., Støen, O.-G., Sahlén, V. & Swenson, J.E. (2012) Behaviour of solitary adult Scandinavian brown bears (Ursus arctos) when approached by humans on foot. PLoS ONE, 7, e31699.

Ordiz, A., Støen, O.G., Delibes, M. & Swenson, J.E. (2011) Predators or prey? Spatio-temporal discrimination of human-derived risk by brown bears. Oecologia, 166, 59-67.

Ordiz, A., Støen, O.G., Sæbo, S., Kindberg, J. & Swenson, J.E. (2012) Do bears know they are being hunted? Biological Conservation, 152, 21-28.

Where did the tortoise crossed the road? Predicting road mortality hotspots for Hermann’s tortoise in Romania

The Eastern Hermann’s tortoise has its core Romanian range in southwestern part of the country, in the Iron Gates area, close to the border with Serbia. During the socialist era, development has less impact on the region, due to a combination of geopolitical and environmental factors: a mountainous area, proximity to the Danube, and a strictly militarized border with the former Yugoslavia. However, post-socialism has brought significant changes: hundreds of lodges and vacation homes, road traffic increases, and the Iron Gates area is projected to become one of the most important tourist attraction in SW Romania. The tortoises would be affected by these changes, and to provide an input for conservation authorities, we implemented a broad-scale study aiming at modeling road-mortality hotspots of Eastern Hermann’s tortoise in its Romanian range.

Eastern Hermann’s tortoise (photo by the authors of the paper)

First, we ran a velocity experiment, in order to estimate the average speed of tortoises on paved surfaces. As expected, the tortoise are slow (average speed = 3 meters/minute), males moved slightly faster than females, and heavier tortoises proved to be the slowest.  Second, we used this empirical data to estimate the probability that a tortoise would be killed as it crosses a road for different road traffic intensities and road types. We found that there was <0.001 probability that a tortoise would be killed on unpaved, local roads, and this probability increased up to 0.19 for high traffic, 4-lane roads. The maximum road mortality probability estimated for Hermann’s tortoises in Romania was 0.53 for the European E70 high traffic 4-lane road, which crosses the eastern part of the range (at current traffic levels of 6500 vehicles/day). If the traffic is to increase to 35000 vehicles/days, every tortoise attempting to cross this road would be roadkill. Lastly, we estimated annual road-associated mortality within the entire range using the probability of being killed during a road crossings and the number of the roads an adult tortoise would encounter during its annual movements. We identified local hotspots of mortality significantly higher than expected. Overall, the predicted mean annual road-associated mortality for the entire range was 1.6%, but several population groups bisected by European or National roads may lose up to 30% of the population any given year.  While the overall mortality sees low, it could be a tipping point for population declines (if it has not yet happened) given the synergy with other threats, such as poaching, nest predation, afforestation of abandoned hayfields, and increase in fire frequency.

Eastern Hermann’s tortoise - roadkill (photo by the authors of the paper)

The main result of our broad-scale modeling approach – the identification of road mortality hotspots – can be used in road mortality mitigation efforts. We identified population groups under no risk of road-associated mortality, mainly due to isolation from the nearest roads or adjacency to low traffic, unpaved roads. For the road mortality hotspots associated with National and European roads, a range of mitigation techniques could be implemented: underpasses, roadside fences, guardrails, signage, as well as drivers education. While some strategies, such as underpasses and roadside fences can be costly, signage and drivers education are critical not only for Hermann’s tortoises, but for other wildlife at risk from road mortality.

Reference 

Modeling road mortality hotspots of Eastern Hermann’s tortoise in Romania, Amphibia-Reptilia, doi: 10.1163/15685381-00002878

Ruben IOSIF^ab, Laurenţiu ROZYLOWICZ^a, Viorel Dan POPESCU^ac

a) Centre for Environmental Research (CCMESI), University of Bucharest, 1 N. Balcescu Blvd., RO-010041, Bucharest, Romania. 

E-mail RI: ios_ruben@yahoo.com, 

E-mail LR: rozylowicz@gmail.com 

b) Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, Ovidius University of Constanţa, Aleea Universităţii 1, Building B, 900470 Constanţa, Romania

c) Earth2Ocean Research Group Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
E-mail: viorelpopescu@gmail.com