Population dynamics and spatial distribution of large carnivores in the Ukrainian Carpathians and Polissya

Abstract

Large carnivores play an important role as indicators of the state of the natural ecosystems. The analysis of the number and distribution of large carnivores (brown bear – Ursos arctos, Eurasian lynx – Lynx lynx and grey wolf – Canis lupus) was established in the Ukrainian Carpathians and Ukrainian Polissya. Annual data on the number of large carnivores on the territories of hunting units and nature conservation areas from 2009 to 2019 was summarized. To analyze the number and distribution of large carnivores in the Ukrainian Carpathians, data from 4 regions were taken into account, namely Lviv, Zakarpattia, Ivano-Frankivsk and Chernivtsi regions. To analyze the number and distribution of large carnivores in Ukrainian Polissya, data from 6 regions were taken into account – Volyn, Rivne, Zhytomyr, Kyiv, Chernihiv and Sumy regions. According to official data obtained from hunting units and nature conservation areas in 2019, there were 375 bears, 435 lynxes and 563 wolves in the Ukrainian Carpathians; and 4 bears, 128 lynxes and 609 wolves in Ukrainian Polissya. Based on the collected data, the maps of the distribution of large carnivores in the Ukrainian Carpathians and Ukrainian Polissya were created in the format of a grid of squares of 10 by 10 km (cell size 100 km²), namely – density maps of populations of large carnivores, as well as maps of forest habitats of large carnivores. The obtained results provided a better understanding of the dynamics of large carnivores over the last decade in terms of regions, as well as the density of populations of large carnivores in certain areas and their distribution areas in the Ukrainian Carpathians and Ukrainian Polissya. However, the summary results of the number of individuals obtained based on official reports of hunting units and nature conservation areas are overestimated due to the problem of "double" accounting of animals by users of adjacent lands (hunting units, nature conservation areas). Therefore, it is important to establish synchronization of accounting between users of adjacent lands (nature protection areas, forestries, etc.), to use unified research methods, and to exchange monitoring data and information between institutions of different state subordination. Such scientifically based data are the basis for the development and implementation of measures for the conservation and management of large carnivore populations at the regional, national and international levels.