@wild-ecol-cons.bsky.social
Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Biology Research Group @uni-freiburg.de led by Prof. Dr. Marco Heurich Managing EUROLYNX / EUROWILDCAT / Remote Sensing Data Pool https://www.researchgate.net/lab/Wildlife-Ecology-and-Conservation-Biology-Marco-Heurich
We were honoured to present our EUROLYNX work at the Snow Leopard Foundation — thank you for the invite!
#EUROLYNX is an open collaborative network of 54 research groups studying Eurasian lynx across Europe.
Watch the recorded webinar here: snowleopardnetwork.org/2026/02/15/e...
First PhD paper from Yutong Liang on excursions of Eurasian #lynx during the mating season!🐱
Using data from 125 lynx across Europe, they found that extra-territorial mating excursions are a male-biased strategy, indicating active mate-searching🐈💕🐈
📰 doi.org/10.1098/rspb...
#Eurolynx #euromammals
New lab paper out: experimental evidence for large carnivore risk cues reducing deer browsing intensity in a temperate forest🌳
🦌Deer modified their behaviour in response to large carnivore scent cues, with more pronounced effects in lynx treatments🐾
📎Full paper here: doi.org/10.1111/1365...
New research out on trends of ungulate species in Europe 🐗
Annual hunting bags of roe deer, red deer, wild boar, fallow deer, mouflon, northern chamois & moose were used to identify temporal trends and evaluate the social/environmental drivers of their relative abundances.
📄 doi.org/10.1007/s133...
🦌New paper on environmental pollutants in red and fallow deer samples from eight National Parks in Germany.
⚠️The findings show that deer populations in national parks are susceptible to widespread contamination, despite their focus on nature conservation.
📃 Read more here: doi.org/10.1016/j.sc...
🐺The Interreg wolf project in the Bavarian Forest & Šumava National Park got some air time on TV! 📽️
📺 For any german speakers, you can find the short documentary here: www.ardmediathek.de/video/Y3JpZD...
🎓PhD position in bioacoustics, statistics, and AI for forest biodiversity in Sweden! 🌲
🔊🐦If you have a strong interest in wildlife conservation technology, specifically the use of passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) and AI then go check it out here:
www.slu.se/en/about-slu...
New Paper alert! 🦌
Here we looked at the effects of opening winter enclosures on red deer movement and local browsing pressure. Winter home ranges increased six times when fences were opened, but browsing pressure decreased near open fences enclosures.🌱
📜Read more here: doi.org/10.1016/j.fo...
Hot off the press!🔥
How does human recreation & hunting affect wildlife?🥾🦌
Increased hunting intensity led to a significantly increasing avoidance of recreational activities by all species, independent of whether they were subjected to hunting or not!
📰 doi.org/10.1016/j.ge...
Important new paper on #wildcat vehicle collisions!🐈
A use-availability model mapped collision risk across Germany's roads, showing that existing mitigation measures are well placed, but more roads require intervention to support wildcat populations.🚗
📖 Read more here: doi.org/10.1016/j.je...
How does hunting disturbance influences social contact rates in a group-living wild mammal?🐗
New paper from #euromammals on wild boar behaviour shows that hunting modality plays a significant role in shaping intra-group, but not inter-group, contacts.
📄Read more here: doi.org/10.1111/1365...
Our first in-person KI-Recover team meeting in Sankt Oswald! 🌲✨
We were thrilled by the collaborative energy, fresh ideas, and strong alignment during the workshop. The field excursion was a highlight. Excited for what’s next!
Paper alert!🛰️🥬 We show that thermal infrared hyperspectral data can predict LAI with high accuracy using PLSR & neural nets! Key wavebands (8.1–10.3 μm) work across sensors & conditions - boosting future satellite missions like LandsatNext & CopernicusLSTM doi.org/10.3390/rs17...
🔥Hot off the press:
We assessed intensities of hunting and recreation on the temporal activity of red & roe deer, wild boar, red fox, and lynx in the Bavarian Forest National Park, finding that hunting is a strong driver behind wildlife temporal behavior!
📄Read more here: doi.org/10.1002/eap....
New Paper Altert! 📄
Red deer individual landscapes of fear in response
to human recreation: doi.org/10.1093/behe...
🦌 Population patterns in red deer behaviour masked strong between-individual variation in plasticity to recreational disturbance. 🥾🚶
This year’s EUROwildcat workshop was held in the beautiful town of Melk, in Austria’s scenic Wachau region. Around 50 participants attended, engaging in many fruitful discussions on wildcat conservation and new research ideas. Learn more about EUROwildcat: euromammals.org/eurowildcat/
Have you heard of deadtrees.earth? 🌳
🌲This community-sourced and rigorously curated dataset can serve as a comprehensive reference dataset to uncover tree mortality patterns from local to global scales!
📰Read more about it in our new paper: doi.org/10.1016/j.rs...
This month we visited the new Belgium national park in the Semois Valley who hosted an inspiring and fun meeting of the #EUROlynx network! Around 100 attendees enjoyed three packed days of talks and an excursion in this beautiful region, with plenty of new ideas for research coming up too! 🐈🐾
This week we are sad to say goodbye to our placement PhD student Yuanyuan from China, who has stayed with us for one year. Her work focuses on investigating reintroduction success in crested ibis in China. 🪶
It was a pleasure having you here and we wish you all the best! 💚
A new #EUROLYNX paper out on variability in the movement and foraging behaviour of female Eurasian #lynx during the denning season across Europe! 🐈
🐾Movement metrics and kill-to-den distances were evaluated using GPS data from two climatic regions.
📄Read more here: doi.org/10.1002/oik....
GPS data from 392 moose in Sweden shows they prefer deciduous & young #forests, avoid roads, and select large, connected patches. Forest management should prioritize preserving and connecting these habitats to support #wildlife and biodiversity. 🌲🦌 doi.org/10.1016/j.fo...
Last week, we had the pleasure of presenting a range of our ongoing lab research at the @int-wildcongress.bsky.social in Lillehammer Norway! 🌍
Topics included studies on camera traps, wild boar, wolves, red deer, browsing, lynx, trophic cascades, ticks & human wildlife interactions! 📸🐗🐺🦌🌲🐈🦊🪲🌱
New imaging tech maps plant phenolics in #forests from air and space, improving ecosystem and plant health monitoring! 🌿 #remotesensingtechnology #remotesensing
Have a look at our study on this topic: doi.org/10.1016/j.rs...
Have you seen this paper on the dispersal ability of the carrion beetle Necrodes littoralis? 🪲
Some beetles were recaptured at distances over 30 km! These results have important implications for conservation efforts and for preventing disease spread from carcasses.
doi.org/10.1111/jen....
New research on wild boar resting sites in Europe! 🐗
In anthropized landscapes, where resting sites are sometimes a limiting resource for many animals, their spatial layout may play an often unnoticed yet important role in allowing animal movements across the landscape.🌳
doi.org/10.1002/oik....
Are you interested in passive acoustic monitoring? Do you want to learn more about Broadleafification?
Why not apply at SLU in Umeå, Sweden for a PhD position where you will study vocalizing species like birds, bats and beetles.
Deadline: 22.09.2025
URL: www.slu.se/en/about-slu...
New paper on assessing macroinvertebrate species composition in forest streams using LiDAR data 🌲
This highlights the utility of LiDAR data for stream assessment, offering a novel approach to understanding
stream-catchment interactions in forested landscapes.
🔍Read more doi.org/10.1016/j.ec...
Our new research demonstrates how AI can reduce the time needed for classification of camera trap images. 📸
Using deep learning, automated analysis achieves 90% accuracy in identifying European wildlife, streamlining population monitoring across Germany. 🦊🐗
📜Read more: doi.org/10.1002/rse2...
Check out this new paper: Higher population density boosts individual connectivity in animal networks.
Spatial links grow more than social ones at high densities, affecting ecological processes.
These rules can help predict animal network structures. doi.org/10.1038/s415...
New study on early detection of bark beetle infestation using remote sensing! 🌲🪲🛰️
Forest vitality from healthy to bark beetle-affected states can be mapped, supporting early intervention strategies and continuous cost-effective monitoring of forest health from space!
📃 www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/16...