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Schoonemann J, Nagelkerke J, Seuntjens TG, Osinga N, van Liere D. Applying XGBoost and SHAP to Open Source Data to Identify Key Drivers and Predict Likelihood of Wolf Pair Presence. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 73:1072-1087. [PMID: 38372749 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-024-01941-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/20/2024] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
Wolves have returned to Germany since 2000. Numbers have grown to 209 territorial pairs in 2021. XGBoost machine learning, combined with SHAP analysis is applied to predict German wolf pair presence in 2022 for 10 × 10 km grid cells. Model input consisted of 38 variables from open sources, covering the period 2000 to 2021. The XGBoost model predicted well, with 0.91 as the AUC. SHAP analysis ranked the variables: distance to the closest neighboring wolf pair was the main driver for a grid cell to become occupied by a wolf pair. The clustering tendency of related wolves seems to be an important explanatory factor here. Second was the percentage of wooded area. The next eight variables related to wolf presence in the preceding year, except at fifth, eighth and tenth position in the total order: human density (square root) in the grid, percentage arable land and road density respectively. Other variables including the occurrence of wild prey were the weakest predictors. The SHAP analysis also provided crucial added value in identifying a variable that had threshold values where its contribution to the prediction changed from positive to negative or vice versa. For instance, low density of people increased the probability of wolf pair presence, whereas a high density decreased this probability. Cumulative lift techniques showed that the model performed almost four times better than random prediction. The combination of XGBoost, SHAP and cumulative lift techniques is new in wolf management and conservation, allowing for the focusing of educational and financial resources.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Nynke Osinga
- Institute for Coexistence with Wildlife, Heuvelweg 7, 7218 BD, Almen, Nederland
| | - Diederik van Liere
- Institute for Coexistence with Wildlife, Heuvelweg 7, 7218 BD, Almen, Nederland
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2
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Serieys LE, Bishop JM, Rogan MS, Smith JA, Suraci JP, O’Riain MJ, Wilmers CC. Anthropogenic activities and age class mediate carnivore habitat selection in a human-dominated landscape. iScience 2023; 26:107050. [PMID: 37534145 PMCID: PMC10391726 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Revised: 04/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Human activities increasingly challenge wild animal populations by disrupting ecological connectivity and population persistence. Yet, human-modified habitats can provide resources, resulting in selection of disturbed areas by generalist species. To investigate spatial and temporal responses of a generalist carnivore to human disturbance, we investigated habitat selection and diel activity patterns in caracals (Caracal caracal). We GPS-collared 25 adults and subadults in urban and wildland-dominated subregions in Cape Town, South Africa. Selection responses for landscape variables were dependent on subregion, animal age class, and diel period. Contrary to expectations, caracals did not become more nocturnal in urban areas. Caracals increased their selection for proximity to urban areas as the proportion of urban area increased. Differences in habitat selection between urban and wildland caracals suggest that individuals of this generalist species exhibit high behavioral flexibility in response to anthropogenic disturbances that emerge as a function of habitat context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurel E.K. Serieys
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7701, South Africa
- Environmental Studies Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
- Panthera, New York, NY 10018, USA
- Cape Leopard Trust, Cape Town 7966, South Africa
| | - Jacqueline M. Bishop
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7701, South Africa
| | - Matthew S. Rogan
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7701, South Africa
- Natural State, Nanyuki, Kenya
| | - Justine A. Smith
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Justin P. Suraci
- Environmental Studies Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
- Conservation Science Partners, Inc. Truckee, CA 96161, USA
| | - M. Justin O’Riain
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7701, South Africa
| | - Christopher C. Wilmers
- Environmental Studies Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
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3
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Clavero M, García‐Reyes A, Fernández‐Gil A, Revilla E, Fernández N. Where wolves were: setting historical baselines for wolf recovery in Spain. Anim Conserv 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/acv.12814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- M. Clavero
- Departamento de Biología de la Conservación Estación Biológica de Doñana – CSIC Sevilla Spain
| | - A. García‐Reyes
- Departamento de Biología de la Conservación Estación Biológica de Doñana – CSIC Sevilla Spain
| | - A. Fernández‐Gil
- Departamento de Biología de la Conservación Estación Biológica de Doñana – CSIC Sevilla Spain
| | - E. Revilla
- Departamento de Biología de la Conservación Estación Biológica de Doñana – CSIC Sevilla Spain
| | - N. Fernández
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐Leipzig Leipzig Germany
- Institute of Biology Martin Luther University Halle‐Wittenberg Halle (Saale) Germany
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4
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Living high and at risk: predicting Andean bear occurrence and conflicts with humans in southeastern Peru. Glob Ecol Conserv 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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Nagl D, Breitenmoser U, Hackländer K, Ryser A, Zimmermann F, Signer S, Haller H, Breitenmoser‐Würsten C, Vogt K. Long‐term changes in habitat selection and prey spectrum in a reintroduced Eurasian lynx (
Lynx lynx)
population in Switzerland. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8614. [PMID: 35228862 PMCID: PMC8861841 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2021] [Revised: 01/10/2022] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
When wild‐caught Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) from the Slovak Carpathian Mountains were reintroduced to Central Switzerland in the early 1970s and spread through the north‐western Swiss Alps (NWA), they faced a largely unfamiliar landscape with strongly fragmented forests, high elevations, and intense human land use. For more than 30 years, radio‐collared lynx have been monitored during three different project periods (in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2010s). Our study explored, how lynx over generations have learned to adjust to the alpine environment. We predicted that (1) lynx nowadays select more strongly for open habitats, higher elevations, and steep slopes compared to the early stages of recolonization and that (2) consequently, there were significant changes in the Eurasian lynx’ prey spectrum. To test our predictions, we analyzed telemetry data (VHF, GPS) of 13 adult resident lynx in the NWA over 35 years, using Resource Selection Functions. Furthermore, we compared kills recorded from different individuals inhabiting the same region during three project periods. In general, lynx preferred forested areas, but over the years, they avoided open habitat less. Compared to the early stage of the recolonization, lynx in the most recent project period selected for higher elevations and the proportion of chamois in their prey spectrum surmounted that of roe deer. Potential driving factors for the observed changes could be increasing tolerance to human presence, intraspecific competition, or fitness benefits through exploitation of new resources. Long‐term studies like ours provide important insight into how animals can respond to sudden environmental changes, e.g., in the course of translocations into new areas or anthropogenic alterations of their habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Nagl
- Institute of Wildlife Biology and Game Management University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna Austria
- KORA Carnivore Ecology and Wildlife Management Muri bei Bern Switzerland
- Bayerischer Jagdverband e.V Feldkirchen Germany
| | - Urs Breitenmoser
- KORA Carnivore Ecology and Wildlife Management Muri bei Bern Switzerland
| | - Klaus Hackländer
- Institute of Wildlife Biology and Game Management University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna Austria
- Deutsche Wildtier Stiftung Hamburg Germany
| | - Andreas Ryser
- KORA Carnivore Ecology and Wildlife Management Muri bei Bern Switzerland
| | | | - Sven Signer
- KORA Carnivore Ecology and Wildlife Management Muri bei Bern Switzerland
| | | | | | - Kristina Vogt
- KORA Carnivore Ecology and Wildlife Management Muri bei Bern Switzerland
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Mayer M, Olsen K, Schulz B, Matzen J, Nowak C, Thomsen PF, Hansen MM, Vedel-Smith C, Sunde P. Occurrence and Livestock Depredation Patterns by Wolves in Highly Cultivated Landscapes. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.783027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Attacks by large predators on livestock are an important driver of conflicts. Consequently, knowledge about where predators occur, where livestock depredation takes place and what factors influence it will aid the mitigation of stakeholder conflicts. Following legal protection, wolves (Canis lupus) in Central Europe are recently spreading to areas dominated by agriculture, bringing them in closer contact with livestock. Here, we analyzed habitat selection and livestock depredation rates of 43 wolves identified by genotyping on the Jutland peninsula, consisting of mainland Denmark and the northernmost German federal state Schleswig-Holstein. Occupancy by resident wolves correlated positively with forest and other non-forested semi-natural land cover (habitat for natural ungulate prey), whereas occupancy by non-resident wolves correlated with increasing forest cover and sheep density. The latter effect likely reflected increased sampling probability of highly mobile dispersers killing livestock. We recorded 565 livestock depredation events (85 in Denmark and 480 in Schleswig-Holstein), of which 42% (55 in DK and 185 in SH) could be assigned to 27 individual wolves based on DNA evidence. Livestock (mostly sheep) were killed by wolves in 16% of the study area. Our results indicate that wolves mostly killed livestock as a context-dependent response, i.e., being dispersers in agricultural areas with low availability of wild ungulate prey and high livestock densities, and not because of behavioral preferences for sheep. Moreover, the livestock depredation was lower in areas with livestock protection measures (implemented in areas with established pairs/packs). We conclude that while wolf attacks on livestock in established wolf territories generally can be reduced through improvement of fences, livestock depredation by non-resident wolves in agricultural areas constitutes a bigger challenge. Albeit technically possible, the economic costs of implementing predator-proof fences and other preventive measures in such pastoral areas infrequently visited by wolves will be considerable. Experiences so far further indicate that lethal removal of identified “problem wolves” may be inefficient in practice.
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Mahajan P, Khandal D, Chandrawal K. Factors Influencing Habitat-Use of Indian Grey Wolf in the Semiarid Landscape of Western India. MAMMAL STUDY 2021. [DOI: 10.3106/ms2021-0029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Kapil Chandrawal
- Deputy Conservator of Forest, Rashtriya Maru Udhyan, Jaisalmer, India
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8
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Sunde P, Collet S, Nowak C, Thomsen PF, Hansen MM, Schulz B, Matzen J, Michler F, Vedel‐Smith C, Olsen K. Where have all the young wolves gone? Traffic and cryptic mortality create a wolf population sink in Denmark and northernmost Germany. Conserv Lett 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/conl.12812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Peter Sunde
- Department of Bioscience Aarhus University Rønde Denmark
| | - Sebastian Collet
- Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt Conservation Genetics Section Gelnhausen Germany
| | - Carsten Nowak
- Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt Conservation Genetics Section Gelnhausen Germany
| | | | | | - Björn Schulz
- Stiftung Naturschutz Schleswig‐Holstein Molfsee Germany
| | - Jens Matzen
- Stiftung Wildtiere im Norden Molfsee Germany
| | - Frank‐Uwe Michler
- Faculty of Forest and Environment, Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development Eberswalde Germany
| | | | - Kent Olsen
- Natural History Museum Aarhus Aarhus C Denmark
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Faggioni GP, Souza FL, Paranhos Filho AC, Gamarra RM, Prado CPA. Amount and spatial distribution of habitats influence occupancy and dispersal of frogs at multiple scales in agricultural landscape. AUSTRAL ECOL 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.12966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel P. Faggioni
- Instituto de Biociências Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul Avenida Costa e Silva ‐ Pioneiros Mato Grosso do Sul79070‐900Brazil
| | - Franco L. Souza
- Instituto de Biociências Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul Avenida Costa e Silva ‐ Pioneiros Mato Grosso do Sul79070‐900Brazil
| | - AntÔnio C. Paranhos Filho
- Laboratório de Geoprocessamento para Aplicações Ambientais Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul Campo GrandeBrazil
| | - Roberto M. Gamarra
- Laboratório de Geoprocessamento para Aplicações Ambientais Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul Campo GrandeBrazil
| | - Cynthia P. A. Prado
- Departamento de Morfologia e Fisiologia Animal Universidade Estadual Paulista Jaboticabal São Paulo Brazil
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Jensen DA, Ma K, Svenning J. Steep topography buffers threatened gymnosperm species against anthropogenic pressures in China. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:1838-1855. [PMID: 32128120 PMCID: PMC7042744 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2019] [Revised: 12/05/2019] [Accepted: 12/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
China is one of the most species-rich countries in the world, harboring many rare gymnosperms. Following recent human-led loss of forests, China is now experiencing increases in forest cover resulting from efforts of reforestation schemes. As anthropogenic activities have previously been found to interact with topography in shaping forest cover in China and considering the large human population and the ongoing population increase of the country, it is important to understand the role of anthropogenic pressures relative to environmental drivers for shaping species distributions here. Based on the well-established relationship between human population density and topography, we propose a hypothesis for explaining species distributions in a country dominated by human activities, predicting that species are more likely to occur in areas of steep topography under medium human population densities compared to low and high human population densities. Using species occurrence data from the Chinese Vascular Plant Distribution Database along with a common SDM method (maximum entropy modeling), we tested this hypothesis. Our results show that steep topography has the highest importance for predicting Chinese gymnosperm species occurrences in general, and threatened species specifically, in areas of medium human population densities. Consequently, these species are more often found in areas of steep terrain, supporting the proposed hypothesis. Results from this study highlight the need to include topographically heterogeneous habitats when planning new protected areas for species conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ditte Arp Jensen
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE)Department of BioscienceAarhus UniversityAarhus CDenmark
- Section for Ecoinformatics and BiodiversityDepartment of BioscienceAarhus UniversityAarhus CDenmark
- Sino‐Danish Center for Education and Research (SDC)Water and Environment Programme, Eastern Yanqihu CampusUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Keping Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental ChangeInstitute of BotanyChinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Jens‐Christian Svenning
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE)Department of BioscienceAarhus UniversityAarhus CDenmark
- Section for Ecoinformatics and BiodiversityDepartment of BioscienceAarhus UniversityAarhus CDenmark
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11
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Shrotriya S, Chatterjee N, Habib B. Casual analysis and short‐sighted inferences: A response to Majgaonkar et al. 2019. CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/csp2.124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Shivam Shrotriya
- Department of Animal Ecology and Conservation BiologyWildlife Institute of India Dehradun India
| | - Nilanjan Chatterjee
- Department of Animal Ecology and Conservation BiologyWildlife Institute of India Dehradun India
| | - Bilal Habib
- Department of Animal Ecology and Conservation BiologyWildlife Institute of India Dehradun India
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12
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Almasieh K, Rouhi H, Kaboodvandpour S. Habitat suitability and connectivity for the brown bear (Ursus arctos) along the Iran-Iraq border. EUR J WILDLIFE RES 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10344-019-1295-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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