by The reintroduction of wolves to Scotland could help local forests to expand and combat climate change, closing a new study by researchers from the University of Leeds.
Central Europe has already seen several environmental success stories because the wolf populations have “recovered” without a formal reintroduction.
For many centuries, wolves grazed freely in Great Britain, as recorded by Roman and later Saxon writers, but were sought to extend in Scotland about 250 years ago.
Despite this unique study, local charity organizations in Great Britain are doubtful that wolves are the best approach to reducing carbon emissions, especially with concerns about the human conflict and the coexistence of predators and prey.
Richard Bunting, a spokesman for Great Britain who resume charity organizations for life and woven Britain again, says that the new study “urgently needed research” is, especially if they examine the “significant positive effects on the expansion of forests and carbon storage” .
However, he adds that “essential stakeholders and public commitment would be essential before reintroduction in Wolf could be considered.”
Wolves would help expand local forests by led red deer populations
The most recent study by the University of Leeds used a Predator Brey model to determine the effects of re-introduced wolves in four areas, which were classified as “Scottish wildland” in the Cairngorms and Scottish highlands. In these areas, red deer eat tree seedlings and suppress the natural regeneration From forest.
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It is the first time that such a study published in the magazine Ecological Solutions and Evidence Carbon in Great Britain.
Even in local management measurements, Red Deer blossomed in Scotland in the last century without natural predators to keep their numbers in chess. The current population is estimated at around 400,000.
This has led to a long -term decline and loss of local forests – only 4 percent of Scotland are covered, which is one of the lowest numbers in Europe.
The team found that the wolf population would naturally grow to 167 wolves, which in turn could control red deer populations to a level that would enable the trees to regenerate naturally.
This would allow native Forest To expand into an area that could capture a million tons of CO2 every year. Saving this much carbon would meet about 5 percent of the British Woodland Carbon removal target, which is recommended by the British climate change committee, to reach NOS NOS by 2050.
Based on the model of the research team, every wolf would be responsible for an annual CO2 recording capacity of 6,080 tons of CO2, which means that every Wolf would have a value of EUR 154,000 (EUR 185,231) under current CO2 ratings.
Climate and repetition of nature go hand in hand, says expert
The main author of the report, Professor Dominick Spracklen from the School of Earth and Environment at the University of Leeds, emphasized that “the climate And biodiversity Crises cannot be managed in isolation. “
“We have to examine the potential role of natural processes such as the reintroduction of species in order to regain our degraded ecosystems, and these in turn can provide co-benefits for the climate and nature restoration.”
The study also mentioned other advantages for the reintroduction of wolves such as fewer deer traffic collisions Lyme Borreliosis.
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A surprising advantage of restoring wolf populations in Europe is ecotourism. Spain Now has a flourishing wolf observation industry and is making 46 percent of the overnight stays in the mountain range of Sierra de la Culebra. There are also potential So that this happens in Scotland.
In Europe, a dramatic wolf restoration has been listed in the last decade
As soon as the top predator species in Europe were, the wolves were hunted in Western Europe and pursued to extinction. Small populations remained in areas of Italy, PolandAnd Bulgaria.
Despite this Europe, its wolf population has increased significantly in recent years. This is not due to an official re -introduction, but to a “natural recovery”, says the resumption of Europe.
In the 1990s, wolf hunting was banned in Poland. The local wolf population has grown in recent decades and spreads west in areas in Germany and even in the NetherlandsDenmark and France.
The entire wolf population is now increasing by around 25 percent a year throughout Western Europe and is exceeded by more than 12,000, which occupies 67 percent of their historical territory.
With more public acceptance of the predators, European legislation has also grown to protect them from poaching and exploitation. In a survey recently made by 10,000 Europeans, 68 percent of Europeans stated that it should be wolves strictly protected And 72 percent agreed that they have a right to coexist.
In addition to Red deerWolves prey also roe deer and to a lesser extent wild boar and beaver.
Although there are concerns that they make cattle victim in some situations, a study from 2018 indicated that wolves kill around 31,000 cattle in Europe every year, mainly in areas where the availability of natural prey is low . EU data show that wolves only kill around 50,000 of the 68 million Europe sheep And goats every year.
Wolves may not be the most suitable way for reintroding in Scotland
The idea of introducing the wolves into the Scottish highlands began at the end of the 1960s. After the successful reintroduction of Red Wolf and Gray Wolf species, it was gained in a broader public relations work North American National parks in the late 1980s to the mid -nineties.
Most of the discussions about the reintroduction of APEX predators Scotland – and in particular wolves – come with many objections within rural communities, especially game bodies in the estate, cattle Farmerand Hirschstalker.
There were also concerns that wolves are a danger to humans. In Europe there were only 11 non -fatal attacks in 18 years. This is low compared to the 221 beef friends in Europe between 2000 and 2015.
A report by the Norwegian Institute for Natural Research suggests that the risks attacking with a person “are over zero, but far too low to calculate”.
Lee Schofield, co-author of the study, added: “Conflicts of people and weaknesses that involve meaty are common and must be addressed by public policy who take into account the attitudes of people to reintroduce for successful reintroduction.”
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Pendant re -shown are also doubtful about the formal reintroduction of wolves in Great Britain. Richard Bunting, spokesman for the Great Britain, says that the trees for life and spokeswoman for the UK are rejected: “Wolves in Scotland could undoubtedly thrive, one of a handful of European countries that still lack a large terrestrial mammalian preacher. But wolves will not be back soon, because first we have to learn how to coexist with these animals. “
Instead of concentrating on wolves, Bunting indicates a less controversial APEX predator, the reintroduction of the Eurasian lynx, which is supported by the lynx project by Luchs.
“A carefully managed lynx Reintroduction – another keystone type that is important for maintaining healthy life systems is increasingly feasible.
“Scotland’s natural world would make this richer and stronger and offer wider advantages for the restoration of nature. Climate resistance and economic prosperity. It would be a big victory for Scotland in the fight against extinction and would be very popular. “
