Sampriti Roy, University of Calcutta
Reintroduction or ‘rewilding’, an approach to restoring the biodiversity of an area, is gaining increasing popularity worldwide. The aim of any rewilding event is to promote self-sustenance of an ecosystem, such that it has conditions that require minimal external maintenance. This approach is especially essential right now due to the intensive farming and rapid urbanization trends seen globally along with other anthropogenic factors that threaten the habitat of some species.
Gauging the success of rewilding mainly involves using certain biodiversity metrics, such as an increase in the diversity or abundance of bird or plant species, as seen in accounts of the Yellowstone wolf rewilding. But what was found to be missing in these measurements is the role of landscapes (role of topography, river systems, etc.). A recent study conducted by the Dutch State Forestry Service and the University of Amsterdam aims to establish that along with focusing on the species to be reintroduced and the organisms it will affect, the geography and geology of a landscape must also be taken into account. In fact, according to the co-author of the study Harry Seijmonsbergen (Ecologist, University of Amsterdam), the landscape is significantly undervalued when discussing reintroduction success stories.
Why is landscape said to be important here?
The components of geodiversity are influenced by large herbivores and predators. The changes in the components of geodiversity of an area, such as erosion, alteration of soil physical and chemical properties, among others, depend mostly upon grazers, especially large herbivores. Thus, changes in grazer densities may be said to alter the areal extent and quality of geodiversity components at multiple scales.
However, when we see the same interaction the other way round, we find that geodiversity components may affect the way large herbivores use and interact with the abiotic environment in reserves in the first place. An example given by the study was of a topographically diverse landscape, which may host localities to shelter against tough weather conditions and serve as safe spots against predators. This makes including the effect of geodiversity in gauging rewilding success important.
The study
“It is the landscape that ultimately decides the outcome of rewilding efforts”, says Kenneth Rijsdijk, an ecologist at the University of Amsterdam and presenter of the team’s findings at the European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly 2021.
The team involved in the study wants to build a more holistic index for the prediction and measurement of rewilding success. Through early applications of their approach in Northwest Europe (at sites formerly marked as possible rewilding candidates by the Dutch State Forestry Service), the team has shown that more conservation potential is seen in a more varied landscape. The following are some important features of the study:
- More than 100 years of data: The index draws on more than 100 years of map data, both geographical and geological, that has been mapped out across 12 Northwest European sites. This data combines landscape features such as forested areas, elevation, quietness, and openness in order to calculate a metric for the quality of the landscape.
- Use of field and aerial data: The influence of geodiversity over time in rewilding was studied by using field data along with satellite and aerial data.
- Data Comparison: Independent assessment of the relationship between landscape and biodiversity at each site was done by comparing the new index against a formerly used ecological index.
- Land ruggedness: This was independently tested by supplementing the workflow of the team with that of previously collected data from a place with a well-known rewilding success story- Yellowstone. The parameter that made it an appropriate choice, in this case, was the presence of varied terrains with niches for animal shelter and hunt.
- Geodiversity index calculation: In order to assess in what way geodiversity may help identify the limiting factors or the success of potential rewilding sites, openly available thematic digitized spatial data was used in order to calculate geodiversity index (includes soil diversity, roughness, geomorphology, and topographic openness).
Significance of the study
To pinpoint sites where reintroduction would be the most successful is something that all conservation biologists would ideally want. By the statement, “Our research is the first to start building the required toolkit to measure landscape quality and inform that choice,” Rijsdijk provides a much-needed answer to the former demand. The new research, providing data on a way of rewilding that takes into account the geodiversity of an area, could ensure a higher rate of success as well as influence future decisions and policies that will be made with respect to rewilding.
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Reference: “Geodiversity of Rewilding” by Kenneth F. Rijsdijk, Amalia Llano, Perry Cornelissen, Ashleigh Campbell, Stijn de Boer, Lukas P. Struiksma, Franciska T. de Vries, 25 April 2021, EGU General Assembly 2021. DOI: 10.5194/egusphere-egu21-12338
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