Unit 3
Animals 'Making a Comeback'
Over the past couple of decades, Europe has been pursuing their goal of restoring animal populations. Since the late 1950's and early '60's, many European countries have been working hard to save many of their species of animals, mostly mammals and birds. They have had great success with the program over the years, and recently a report was released called 'Wildlife Comeback in Europe.' It's the first in-depth report that documents Europe's species recovery.
Animal population decline is a recurring problem around the world. There are many factors including over-exploitation, poaching, and mainly habitat loss that contribute to the problem. Europe, on the other hand, has actually seen an increase in their animal populations because of their valiant efforts to restore them.
Tighter hunting regulations and habitat protection are at the front line of their defense, and have proven to be key in their success. The Barnacle Goose is a good example of this. Since 1950, the goose population in Russia has increased from 10,000 individuals to 908,000 in 2009. Human migration from rural areas to the cities have also helped animals thrive by giving them more space to live.
Besides the geese, most bird populations remained the same, but certain mammal populations have seen amazing growth, the average being a 30% increase in mammals. In the early 20th century, the bison went extinct in the wild, but now there are nearly 2,759 individuals living free in Europe today. That's a 3000% increase since 1950. The European beaver has also seen a tremendous recovery with a 14,000% increase since 1960. The beaver population went from 1,200 to 337, 500, making up 33% of the worlds' population. White-tailed sea eagles, Red kites, Northern chamois, bears, and grey wolves, just to name a few, have all seen an increase in population since the fifties.
Increasing animal populations is fantastic, but it has caused some headaches for farmers. The geese and birds are starting to cause conflict, and many people, especially farmers, are concerned about the increase in the wolf population. Compensation and subsidies plans are currently in place in some European countries to try and help out farmers without killing the animals.
The comeback project has greatly helped Europe increase their biodiversity and even save animals from extinction!
Animal population decline is a recurring problem around the world. There are many factors including over-exploitation, poaching, and mainly habitat loss that contribute to the problem. Europe, on the other hand, has actually seen an increase in their animal populations because of their valiant efforts to restore them.
Tighter hunting regulations and habitat protection are at the front line of their defense, and have proven to be key in their success. The Barnacle Goose is a good example of this. Since 1950, the goose population in Russia has increased from 10,000 individuals to 908,000 in 2009. Human migration from rural areas to the cities have also helped animals thrive by giving them more space to live. 
Besides the geese, most bird populations remained the same, but certain mammal populations have seen amazing growth, the average being a 30% increase in mammals. In the early 20th century, the bison went extinct in the wild, but now there are nearly 2,759 individuals living free in Europe today. That's a 3000% increase since 1950. The European beaver has also seen a tremendous recovery with a 14,000% increase since 1960. The beaver population went from 1,200 to 337, 500, making up 33% of the worlds' population. White-tailed sea eagles, Red kites, Northern chamois, bears, and grey wolves, just to name a few, have all seen an increase in population since the fifties. Increasing animal populations is fantastic, but it has caused some headaches for farmers. The geese and birds are starting to cause conflict, and many people, especially farmers, are concerned about the increase in the wolf population. Compensation and subsidies plans are currently in place in some European countries to try and help out farmers without killing the animals.
The comeback project has greatly helped Europe increase their biodiversity and even save animals from extinction!
Resrouces:
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-24230765
http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_analysis/2131711/wildlife_comeback_in_europe.html
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