Paws without claws?
Effects of carnivore comeback in European anthropogenic landscapes.
In a review article in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B a European research group highlights gaps in knowledge on the effects of carnivores in human-dominated landscapes.
This view is partly based on experiences from Yellowstone National Park.
Although we are not always physically present, these landscapes are still heavily shaped by us, for example, through forestry and hunting."
In other words, humans may remove the claws from the carnivores’ paws.
Perhaps even more important is that the authors suggest that most of the research done so far on the role that predators play in ecosystems has been carried out in landscapes with very low human impact.
"Human activity must be included in research on the ecological effects of large carnivores.
Journal Reference: D. P. J. Kuijper, E. Sahlén, B. Elmhagen, S. Chamaillé-Jammes, H. Sand, K. Lone, J. P. G. M. Cromsigt.
Ecological effects of large carnivores in anthropogenic landscapes.