Room for wolf comeback in the Netherlands A spatial analysis on the possibilities of settlement of wolves from European populations in the Netherlands

摘要: Cumulative effects of climate change, pollution, over-harvesting, fragmentation, degradation and loss habitat threaten biodiversity globally. In Europe, centuries long over-harvesting persecution large herbivores carnivores resulted in local extinctions carnivores. At the end 20 century, legal protection stabilization even increase European wolf populations. Now, public debate forms a challenge recovery (Canis lupus) populations on mainland Europe. West countries, it is unclear where wolves can live after man manipulating natural environment. To facilitate nature managers policy makers to prepare for avoiding conflicts, important know will settle Netherlands what routes take Netherlands. Based presence artificial surfaces, water bodies, human population density, road density prey distribution abundance, suitability model cost-distance analysis were done. Prey species identified as all ungulates occurring Netherlands: roe deer, red fallow deer wild boar. Although dense populated country with high still be able find areas low disturbance prey, mostly northeast There room at least 14 packs. French less isolated, from France Germany most likely migrate via north south Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region. nearby area was sighted summer 2011. However, degree plasticity that show cannot modelled. The according this research should seen are first. account left out parameters, scenario conservative. Therefore, packs considered an ecological minimum based parameters used study. addition, when Netherlands, have refined.