Anthropogenic disturbance
Animals, particularly birds and mammals, respond to human disturbance by reducing their use of space and habitat types, especially in remote areas, typically less affected by human presence. This is the finding of a study recently published in the prestigious journal Science, conducted by a group of research institutes including the Edmund Mach Foundation. The article, titled "Interactive Effects of Human Presence and Landscape Modification on Birds and Mammals," includes among its 82 authors Federico Ossi, a technologist with the Animal Ecology Unit of the FEM Research and Innovation Center. Ossi, along with Francesca Cagnacci, Head of the same Research Unit, also participated in establishing and coordinating the research group. COVID-19 Biologging Initiative.
The various answers
This article reports the results of a large-scale study on the movement of mammals and birds to study their response to human disturbance. Specifically, during the surveys, conducted in North American locations, the authors analyzed whether the area used by animals and the types of habitats they use change in relation to human pressure. This was done by comparing data collected in 2019 (the "control" year) and 2020, a year in which human pressure had radically changed due to the lockdown periods related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, in both years, human presence was measured using accurate mobile phone-based indices, thus allowing for a robust and innovative quantification of the dynamic human presence in a given area. Animal movement data were collected using bio-logging sensors (e.g., GPS radio collars).
Contraction in the use of space
Comparing data collected in 2019 and 2020, it was observed that most of the species studied, particularly in remote areas, showed a general decline in space use and habitat types when subjected to human disturbance. On the other hand, the study also showed that fauna's responses to human presence are extremely varied, and therefore generalizations are often misleading. Therefore, conservation and management actions must be tailored to the local context in which a species occurs. The findings, obtained in North America, allow for a broader reflection on the effect of human pressure on animal behavior: exportable to a global scale, they are also valid in the Alpine context (source: Province of Trento).
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