The crucial role of top carnivores
In terrestrial ecosystems, top carnivores, from large mammals such as tigers and bears to raptors, are situated at the apex of food webs. They are characterized by their big size and their sparse numbers relative to their prey. Recent research points to the crucial role of top carnivores. By predating they structure and preserve biodiversity.
The eradication of top carnivores results in negative cascade reactions, from the demographic explosion of herbivores and meso-predators to unsustainable grazing pressures. Inevitably, these changes ultimately lead to biodiversity loss at all levels of the food chain, and in the worst cases even to ecosystem collapse.
Their needs
The ecological, behavioural, and security needs of top carnivores are being increasingly recognized, but their inclusion in conservation and rewilding strategies is lagging behind. In order to successfully battle extinction of many species it is necessary to develop a full understanding of how essential ecological processes such as predation work. It is also crucial to understand how humans have altered ecosystems by persecuting keystone predatory species, thereby damaging ecosystem functions, to prevent it from happening again in future.
The erosion of habitat connectivity and quality has been a major concern to conservationists seeking to preserve biodiversity. Top carnivores are the first to go in this erosion and degradation process.
Maintaining a reserve network large enough to sustain viable populations of the top carnivores has emerged as an overarching conservation objective.
In order to achieve long-term, landscape scale conservation goals, we must shift our conservation thinking from viewing top carnivores as an isolated part of ecosystem management to viewing the maintenance of viable populations of top carnivores as essential components of an integrated system of sustainable ecosystem management.
Appreciation to increase
The increased appreciation of the importance of predation in structuring and maintaining biodiversity is crucial for further development. The essential role of predator-prey interactions in maintaining sustainable, healthy prey populations, scavenger populations and natural vegetation patterns still needs more understanding.
This will make it possible for humans to live together with large herbivore and large carnivore populations at the same time, like we used to do in the past and like some regions successfully are doing again right now.
We made use of - among others - the information on the web-pages of the IUCN Red List for Threatened Species. The Large Carnivore Initiative Europe (LCIE) is our counterpart for the large carnivores in Europe.
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