Usually hated, sometimes loved: A review of wild ungulates' contributions to people

Research output: Journal contributionsScientific review articlesResearch

Authors

Nature's contributions to people (NCP) may be both beneficial and detrimental to humans' quality of life. Since our origins, humans have been closely related to wild ungulates, which have traditionally played an outstanding role as a source of food or raw materials. Currently, wild ungulates are declining in some regions, but recovering in others throughout passive rewilding processes. This is reshaping human-ungulate interactions. Thus, adequately understanding the benefits and detriments associated with wild ungulate populations is necessary to promote human-ungulate co-existence. Here, we reviewed 575 articles (2000-2019) on human-wild ungulate interactions to identify key knowledge gaps on NCP associated with wild ungulates. Wild ungulate research was mainly distributed into seven research clusters focussing on: (1) silvicultural damage in Eurasia; (2) herbivory and natural vegetation; (3) conflicts in urban areas of North America; (4) agricultural damage in Mediterranean agro-ecosystems; (5) social research in Africa and Asia; (6) agricultural damage in North America; (7) research in natural American Northwest areas. Research mostly focused on detrimental NCP. However, the number of publications mentioning beneficial contributions increased after the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services conceptual framework was implemented. Human-ungulate interactions' research was biased towards the Global North and Cervidae, Suidae and Bovidae families. Regarding detrimental NCP, most publications referred to production damage (e.g. crops), followed by biodiversity damage, and material damage (e.g. traffic collisions). Regarding beneficial NCP, publications mainly highlighted non-material contributions (e.g. recreational hunting), followed by material NCP and regulating contributions (e.g. habitat creation). The main actions taken to manage wild ungulate populations were lethal control and using deterrents and barriers (e.g. fencing), which effectiveness was rarely assessed. Increasing research and awareness about beneficial NCP and effective management tools may help to improve the conservation of wild ungulates and the ecosystems they inhabit to facilitate people-ungulate co-existence in the Anthropocene.
Original languageEnglish
Article number149652
JournalScience of the Total Environment
Volume801
Number of pages11
ISSN0048-9697
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 20.12.2021

Bibliographical note

Z.M.-R. was supported by a postdoctoral contract ( APOSTD/2019/016 ) cofunded by the Generalitat Valenciana and the European Social Fund (ESF), N.A.-A. by a pre-doctoral grant ( BES-2016-077351 ) from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) and the ESF , E.S.-G. by the Generalitat Valenciana ( SEJI/2018/024 ) and with a Ramón y Cajal research contract ( RYC-2019-027216I ) from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN). M.M. was supported by a Ramón y Cajal research contract ( RYC-2015-19231 ) from the MINECO . The study was partially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) (Project “TRASCAR” RTI2018-099609-B-C21 ).

    Research areas

  • Sustainability Science - Artiodactyla, Ecological functions, herbivores, Human-wildlife relations, Mammal Management, Perissodactyla

Documents

DOI

Recently viewed

Researchers

  1. Niko Pepe Engfer

Publications

  1. Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a guided and unguided internet-based acceptance and commitment therapy for chronic pain
  2. Wenn der Golfstrom das Drehbuch schreibt
  3. EU Democracy Promotion and the Arab Spring
  4. Public participation and local environmental planning
  5. Pierre Bourdieus Beitrag zur Analyse des Rechts
  6. Communications about uncertainty in scientific climate-related findings
  7. Paradigm shift
  8. A New Approach to Online Reputation Management in Tourism
  9. The Timing of Daily Demand for Goods and Services - Microsimulation Policy Results of an Aging Society, Increasing Labour Market Flexibility, and Extended Public Childcare in Germany
  10. Why Do Extreme Work Hours Persist?
  11. How do low back pain patients conceptualize their expectations regarding treatment?
  12. Stochastic environmental policy, risk-taking, and growth
  13. Participation as a Mode of Conflict
  14. Priority effects and ecological restoration
  15. Die Umkehr des Defaults oder was ist Öffentlichkeit 2.0?
  16. Medientheorie
  17. Becoming prosumer
  18. Relationaler Realismus?
  19. “Whose Science? Whose Fiction?” Uncanny Echoes of Belonging in Samosata
  20. Marktdesign für eine effiziente Netzanbindung von Offshore-Windenergie
  21. Komplizen des Kapitals
  22. Eurobarometer
  23. Students' perspectives on wheelchair basketball in mainstream and special schools
  24. Innere Unruhe
  25. EARL
  26. Schätzen – Aber wie?
  27. Feedback on creative ideas
  28. Aufsätze im SMS-Stil?
  29. Aquatic Exposure Predictions of Insecticide Field Concentrations Using a Multimedia Mass-Balance Model
  30. Biophysical variability and politico-economic singularity
  31. General belief in a just world is positively associated with dishonest behavior