Rewilding theory appeared 20 years ago as a new conservation narrative based on the regula- tory roles of large predators and the importance to protect core reserves and their connectivity to maintain the resilience and complexity of core ecosystems (Perino et al., 2019). In Europe, despite a growing popularity, rewilding remains very criticized, due to a still non-understood concept (Torres et al. 2018). Assessing rewilding is crucial to overcoming conflicts and oppo- sition, and maximizing its benefits. Yet, such a process is complex and resource-demanding (Mata et al., 2018). In this thesis, we spatially assessed indicators of rewilding progress in the German Oder Delta (GOD), a site that joined Rewilding Europe Network (REN) in 2012. Those indicators include connectivity between three land cover types (Arable lands, Vegetation coverage and Water bodies), analysis of land use changes and assessment of iconic species population changes for the years 2006, 2012 and 2018. We addressed the question “How much did the 2012 rewilding policy in the German Oder Delta impact the return of iconic species?”. The connectivity between the different types of animal’s habitats is measured based on evalu- ating the evolution of landscape fragmentation in the area. Through gathering and analyzing land fragmentation data for the years 2006, 2012 and 2018, we found that the level of land- scape fragmentation between the same land types has not changed in the GOD after 2012. The overall connectivity between water bodies was found to be higher in the GOD than in MV and the connectivity between arable lands higher in MV than in the GOD. Surfaces and patches dedicated to water have increased between 2006 and 2012 in the GOD, which coincides with rewetting programs implemented in the region since the late 1990s. Moreover, the land use change in the GOD between 2006 and 2018 especially happened be- tween urban fabric to pasture and from pasture to inland marshes. Eventually, observation of iconic species including the White-Tailed Eagle, the Grey Seal, the Bison and the Beaver has continuously increased since 2006 in the region. From a large-scale perspective, it is hard to conclude rewilding policy’s success. We can however suggest that the combination of rewilding with conservation programs seems to have contributed to increasing the population of some iconic species as well as water bodies' sur- faces.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:su-210983 |
| Date | January 2022 |
| Creators | Robaglia, Bérénice Antoinette Robaglia |
| Publisher | Stockholms universitet, Stockholm Resilience Centre |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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