Wolves could help conservation
Wednesday, 31 Jan 2007 11:51
Wolves were eradicated from the Scottish Highlands by 1769
The reintroduction of wolves into the Scottish Highlands could improve conservation efforts, a study has found.
Published in the Proceedings of The Royal Society, the report found that the reintroduction of wolves into the Highlands, which were eradicated from the region by 1769, could help control the rising red deer population.
Red deer, who have lost one of their natural predators since the eradication of the wolf, compete with other livestock for grazing and are thought to be having both an ecological and economic impact on the region.
The study suggested that the reintroduction of the wolf would help keep the population within the target deer densities published by the Deer Commission for Scotland and avoid costly culling measures.
"Given current global threats to biodiversity, the re-establishment of extinct species into natural communities in areas of low human population density is a potentially useful conservation tool," the study says.
"However, attempts to do this will always be contentious, costly and impact local communities."
Bu the study warns that a reintroduction will carry some cost, mainly in increased livestock mortality and could be a difficult issue to get community support for.
The researchers, from the University of Oslo and Hedmark University College in Norway and the Imperial College in London, said that most of the opposition will come from farmers, while the general public will be more positive to the idea.