Resting in risky environments: the importance of cover for wolves to cope with exposure risk in human-dominated landscapes

摘要: Centuries of persecution have influenced the behaviour large carnivores. For those populations persisting in human-dominated landscapes, complete spatial segregation from humans is not always possible, as they are close contact with people even when resting. The selection resting sites expected to be critical for carnivore persistence where must offer protection counteract exposure risk. Using wolves (Canis lupus) a model species, we hypothesised that by carnivores landscapes will only human activities, but also strongly determined cover providing concealment. We studied fine-scale attributes 546 wolf and confronted them 571 random points NW Iberia. Half (50.8 %) were found forests (mainly forest plantations, 73.1 %), 43.4 % scrublands, 5.8 croplands. Compared points, located their far away paved unpaved roads settlements, whereas significantly selected areas high availability horizontal (refuge) canopy cover. importance refuge was remarkably high, its independent contribution alone being more important than all variables related pressure (distances) pooled (51.1 vs 42.8 %, respectively). strength allowed rest relatively manmade structures, such settlements (sometimes less 200 m). Maintaining high-quality becomes an element favour well human-carnivore coexistence, which can easily integrated landscape planning.