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Abstract: Understanding public attitudes toward wildlife is crucial for the success of conservation efforts, particularly for species that might elicit mixed perceptions. For the first time in Slovenia, we conducted a study on attitudes and knowledge about the Eurasian lynx among primary, lower and upper secondary school pupils. Participants between the ages of 9 and 19 took part in the survey (N = 1312). The aim of the study was to determine the general acceptance and knowledge of the lynx and identify the key factors that influence the formation of attitudes and knowledge. The survey results show a good acceptance of the species among the younger generation and a high level of support for its conservation. A higher amount of knowledge was positively associated with less fear of the species, more interest in learning and higher support for conservation. Living in a region with a permanent lynx presence was associated with less fear and more interest in learning about the species. No differences in acceptance and support for lynx conservation were detected between regions with or without the permanent presence of the species. Year of education was positively associated with the amount of knowledge about lynx, while gender was partially associated with the amount of fear but mainly with support for conservation. Against this background, we provide guidance for planning future communication and education activities for the long-term conservation of the species.
Keywords: eurasian lynx, pupils, attitudes, knowledge, education, conservation
Published in DiRROS: 04.06.2025; Views: 140; Downloads: 56
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Keywords: urejanje hudournikov, gozdovi, hudourniki
Published in DiRROS: 03.06.2025; Views: 185; Downloads: 51
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Abstract: Survival and cause-specific mortality rates are vital for evidence-based population forecasting and conservation, particularly for large carnivores, whose populations are often vulnerable to human-caused mortalities. It is therefore important to know the relationship between anthropogenic and natural mortality causes to evaluate whether they are additive or compensatory. Further, the relation between survival and environmental covariates could reveal whether specific landscape characteristics influence demographic performance. We used telemetry data on 681 Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), a model apex predator with large spatial requirements, that were tracked across their European distribution. Through time-to-event analyses, we sought to determine the variables associated with differences in their survival. Illegal killing was the main cause of mortality (33.8%), and mortality rates were similar in protected and hunted populations (8.6% and 7.0% per year, respectively). Survival varied greatly across populations (70–95% per year). Across all study sites, higher hunting and anthropogenic mortality rates were partially compensated by lower rates of other mortality causes but not by natural mortality alone. Variation in survival depended on sex (female survival was 1.5 times greater than male survival) and seasonality (highest risk during hunting season and winter), and lower survival rates were correlated with higher human modification of landscapes at both coarse (home range composition) and fine (habitat use within home range) scales. Some variation in survival was driven by unobserved factors, which, given the high rates of human-caused mortalities, including illegal killing, are of foremost concern. Due to the low natural mortality rates in protected and hunted populations, we conclude that anthropogenic causes of mortality are likely close to additive, such that maintaining or increasing refuge habitat with little human disturbance is critical to lynx conservation.
Keywords: cause-specific mortality, compensatory mortality, Eurasian lynx, large carnivore, Lynx lynx, survival
Published in DiRROS: 23.04.2025; Views: 288; Downloads: 111
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