It feels as though the wolf has been waiting at the door for a long time. Vashti Gwynn of Manchester Metropolitan University and Elias Symeonakis, of Manchester Metropolitan University, have released a report that shows the wolf is back in action, pacing, and pawing. It was based on habitat availability and concludes that the Highlands are suitable for the wolf’s reintroduction. ScotlandIt should be possible.
We often place the wolf at the top of our list when it comes to rewilding. It has a hold on us that other smaller, less charismatic, or totemic animals don’t.
It is as if this species tells us something about our relationship with the natural world. The wolf occupies an unusual position that the lynx, beaver, and lynx don’t as a threat, rival, and familiar echo of our dog companion, the dog. Many see the wolf as a symbol of wildness and loss, especially in these times when biodiversity is at an all-time low. All of this is not enough to support reintroduction. These studies are what make that possible.
Gwynn & Symeonakis write that there is increasing evidence that apex prey can provide a range ecological benefits. Most of these benefits stem from the reduction in deer overgrazing, something which has been a problem for Scotland.
This study aims to create a rule-based habitat suitability system for wolves on Scotland’s mainland. We use existing literature to identify the most relevant variables such as prey density, road density, human density, and land cover. We then determine thresholds of suitability.
Their modeling shows that an area of between 10.139km2 to 18,857km2 is 80 to 100 percent suitable and could support between 50 to 94 packs.
Those numbers may send chills down the spines of rural residents and workers. There are 94 packs of four wolves. It seems that it covers a lot more territory than the one pack that was released in Yellowstone Park in 1995. This is what started the often-cited transformation that is used as a case against predator introduction. Yellowstone is home to 94 wolves. There are so-called trophic caskades, in which an extreme predator suppresses or changes the behavior and abundance of their prey, altering the whole ecoystem.
The economic arguments for wolf reintroduction are also mentioned in the Symeonakis-Gwynn study. These arguments include tourism and the idea that wolves could remove the economic burden from the deer cull. These arguments are becoming more convincing, especially considering the growing evidence that deer populations must be reduced if we want to restore Scotland’s forest and carbon sink. Nilsen and colleagues. According to Nilsen and colleagues, deer density would fall to 7/km2 if there were no wolves in Scotland for 60 more years. There would be a significant reduction in some areas. This is in line to the Deer Commission for Scotland’s target for 6/km2.
The problem is that rural residents are often subject to a substantial disadvantage. The presence of humans is an important part of habitat. Can we talk of wolves and not mention them
According to a 2007 study, rural respondents felt less positive about their lives than urban ones. The negative attitudes of subsamples of farmers was responsible for the lower scores among rural residents.
NatureScot has stated that it does not plan to consider the return of the wolf. Reintroductions are complex and require careful planning. InternationalThese guidelines must be followed.
But it is a constant call. It is a call that is heard so often and supported by significant landowner backing. Reintroductions of species can be like stepping stones. Many are skeptical about the lynx, also considered for reintroduction. This is because they fear that the wolf might be next.
The real question is whether such calls are able to persuade rural skepticals. After all, it is those who live and work on the land who will have to encounter the wolf at their doors. It is unlikely that the wider rural community will be recruited using another set of figures or graphs.
Roy Dennis, a pioneer in reintroduction, was a great example of how to convince locals. It is essential that you can show the locals that you can do it correctly. The farmers, landowners, and foresters need to know that you are knowledgeable and can get along with them …. Will we see wolves back in Scotland anytime soon? I’m not sure. They cannot walk here, unlike in other European countries. We have to intervene if they want us to.