DREVO Living Mountains' Priority Animals

DREVO Living Mountains' Priority Animals

The order of restoration of the animal world

The main principle

Priority is determined by five criteria:

how important the species is to the functioning of the ecosystem;

how rare and vulnerable it is;

Is it possible to restore its natural environment?

is it capable of forming a sustainable population;

whether its return would create unacceptable environmental or social risks.

The correct sequence is:

First, soil organisms, insects, aquatic fauna, and food resources are restored. Then come herbivores and ecosystem engineers. Once a stable food web has been established, large predators return.

1. First priority - soil animals and invertebrates

This is the foundation of the entire system.

These include:

local earthworms;

soil mites;

springtails;

ants;

beetles;

insect larvae;

centipedes;

mollusks;

crustaceans;

other soil and litter organisms.

Why are they first?

They:

recycle organic matter;

form the soil;

create pores;

retain moisture;

return nutrients;

provide food for birds, amphibians and small mammals;

support fungi and microorganisms.

Without restoration of soil fauna, the release of large animals will be premature.

Important limitation

Non-native earthworms, insects, or mollusks should not be artificially introduced. Priority should be given to restoring native communities by improving soil, moisture, and vegetation.

2. Second priority - pollinators

Key groups:

wild bees;

bumblebees;

butterflies;

night moths;

a hawk-owl;

pollinating beetles;

local honey bee lines.

Their meaning

Pollinators provide:

propagation of flowering plants;

fruiting of trees and shrubs;

food for birds and mammals;

genetic exchange between plants;

sustainability of agriculture.

Key measures

continuous flowering from spring to autumn;

preserving dry stems;

open sandy areas;

old trees and hollows;

refusal of widespread use of insecticides;

flowering corridors between the altitude zones.

3. Third priority - amphibians

Priority groups:

frogs;

frogs;

newt;

salamander;

local endemic species.

Why are they important?

Amphibians:

regulate the number of insects;

are food for birds, snakes and mammals;

link aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems;

sensitive to water quality;

serve as an early indicator of degradation.

Their disappearance often means that the following are violated:

water;

humidity;

migration routes;

soil quality;

structure of swamps and streams.

Key measures

fishless seasonal reservoirs;

gentle banks;

wet forest corridors;

underpasses;

dead wood;

protection of wintering sites;

strict disease control.

4. Fourth priority: aquatic invertebrates and mollusks

These include:

caddis flies;

mayflies;

freckles;

dragonflies;

water beetles;

crayfish;

bivalve mollusks;

snails;

small crustaceans.

Meaning

They:

purify water;

recycle organic matter;

serve as food for fish and birds;

indicate the quality of water;

participate in the formation of the benthic ecosystem.

Filtering mollusks are especially important, but their restoration is only possible after the contamination has been removed and a suitable bottom has been restored.

5. Fifth priority: local fish

Fish return only after recovery:

water quality;

currents;

temperatures;

spawning grounds;

side sleeves;

river permeability;

shelters;

natural hydrological regime.

Priority is given

local rare species;

migratory fish;

types of individual watersheds;

clear water indicator fish;

species involved in food chains.

It is forbidden

populate all the swamp basins with fish;

mix populations from different watersheds;

produce commercial hybrids;

use alien species;

carry out stocking until the environment is restored.

6. Sixth priority - insectivorous and seed-dispersing birds

Insectivorous birds

These include:

tits;

flycatchers;

памочки;

woodpeckers;

swallows;

shears;

other local species.

They help regulate:

caterpillars;

beetles;

larvae;

flying insects.

Fruit-eating birds

These include:

thrushes;

rowanberries;

warblers;

prostitute;

pigeons of local species;

other seed-dispersing birds.

They restore:

shrub belts;

forest edges;

fruit trees;

junipers;

berry plants.

Woodpeckers are a special priority

Woodpeckers create hollows which they then use:

owls;

bats;

small birds;

insects;

mammals.

7. Priority 7: Small Mammals

These include:

shrews;

mice;

voles;

Sony;

proteins;

hedgehogs;

hares;

local rabbits.

Meaning

They:

spread seeds;

bury nuts;

loosen the soil;

regulate insects;

form a food base for predators;

participate in food chains.

Most of these species do not need to be released artificially. They are created:

shrubs;

raindrop;

grassy strips;

dry elevations;

safe crossings;

rodenticide-free zones.

8. Priority 8: Bats

Bats are especially important for:

control of nocturnal insects;

protection of forests and gardens;

maintaining the nocturnal food web;

seed transfer in warm regions.

Required:

old hollow trees;

caves;

quiet buildings;

dark corridors;

water points;

lack of constant night lighting.

Bat houses are only a temporary addition. The main resources are old trees and natural shelters.

9. Priority nine: scavengers

Key groups:

vultures;

crows;

burying beetles;

flies;

small and large predators;

decomposition microorganisms.

Meaning

Scavengers:

quickly process carcasses;

reduce the risk of spread of some diseases;

return nutrients;

support complex food chains;

prevent the accumulation of organic matter.

Rare vultures and other specialized scavengers are especially high priority.

10. Priority Ten: Aquatic Ecosystem Engineers

Beaver

The beaver is one of the main priority species in the areas where it historically lived.

He:

creates ponds;

retains water;

slows down the flow;

restores swamps;

forms dead wood;

increases biodiversity;

creates fire-resistant damp zones.

But the beaver requires sufficient space and conflict management near roads, fields and settlements.

Water buffalo

Buffalo receives priority in managed recovery systems:

wet meadows;

floodplains;

periphery of swamps;

swamp cultures;

reed beds.

It is not a wild keystone species for most European regions, but a managed restoration tool.

11. Eleventh priority - large herbivores

These include:

European bison;

deer;

roe deer;

elk;

mountain goat;

roe deer;

local wild horses or their functional analogues.

Their meaning

They:

support the meadows;

create mosaic vegetation;

they carry seeds;

form paths;

support dung fauna;

limit excessive overgrowth;

provide a food source for predators.

Top priority among large herbivores

European bison

Priority for:

large forest areas;

sparse forest;

wide valleys;

forest-steppe zones;

natural parks;

ecological corridors.

But the bison is not suitable for small, isolated areas.

Local mountain ungulates

Priority for:

upper slopes;

rocky zones;

mountain meadows;

natural high-altitude corridors.

12. Priority 12: Medium Predators

These include:

fox;

badger;

rabbit;

ferret;

wild cat;

jackal within its natural range;

otter.

Meaning

They regulate:

rodents;

sick animals;

some birds;

aquatic fauna;

insects;

small herbivores.

The otter is a special indicator

The return of an otter usually indicates that:

the river became cleaner;

the fish recovered;

calm shores appeared;

shelters were formed;

the watercourse's connectivity has been restored.

13. Priority 13: Large Predators

These include:

wolf;

lynx;

bear;

large eagles;

other natural predators of the region.

They are introduced or naturally returned last when they already exist:

sufficient area;

sustainable prey populations;

ecological corridors;

protected breeding areas;

conflict prevention system;

trained local population.

Their meaning

Large predators:

regulate the number of herbivores;

change their behavior;

reduce the concentration of animals in one area;

support natural selection;

create food for scavengers.

The Predator should not be released into a small, isolated project.

14. A separate priority is rare local and endemic species

Regardless of the general sequence, high priority is given to:

species that exist only in one watershed;

endemic amphibians;

rare fish;

local mollusks;

few insects;

isolated mountain populations;

genetically unique lines.

Even a small mollusc or insect may have a higher priority than a large, well-known animal if it exists only in one valley and is critically endangered.

15. Priority of domestic and traditional breeds

For DREVO economic zones the following are retained:

local breeds of buffalo;

mountain cows;

local sheep;

goats;

donkeys;

horses;

pigs;

chickens;

ducks;

geese;

local lines of bees.

Priority is given to breeds that

adapted to the local climate;

disease resistant;

use poor feed;

able to work on difficult terrain;

do not require intensive maintenance;

have a small mass and cause less damage to the soil;

are endangered.

They are kept separate from wild populations, preventing uncontrolled hybridization.

16. Priorities by altitude zones

17. Final order

First wave

soil invertebrates;

pollinators;

aquatic insects;

mollusks;

amphibians.

Second wave

fish;

small birds;

woodpeckers;

bats;

small mammals.

The third wave

beavers;

otters;

medium-sized predators;

local herbivores;

controlled buffaloes and domestic animals in farm areas.

The fourth wave

bison;

large wild ungulates;

large predators;

complex migratory populations.

The main conclusion

The highest priority is not given to the most visible animals, but to the following groups:

endemic and critically rare species;

pollinators;

soil and aquatic invertebrates;

amphibians;

habitat-creating species - primarily beavers;

seed-dispersing and insectivorous birds;

local fish and shellfish;

large herbivores that support the mosaic;

predators regulating the food web.

First, the animals that create the foundation of life return. Then come those that govern the space. And only after that, the animals that regulate the entire ecosystem from above.

River Corridor