Recreation stimulates forest regeneration in nature reserves

Description

The wolf has returned, but humans are also responsible for a ‘landscape of fear’ in nature reserves. Deer are avoiding recreational areas during the day, both at the landscape scale and in the proximity of recreational trails. At the landscape scale in particular, this results in the decreased consumption of saplings, which is beneficial for forest regeneration. The effects are strongest in open landscapes such as heathland, where visibility is greatest. This is the conclusion of a recently published study carried out by Bjorn Mols, who conducted his research shortly before wolves appeared in the Veluwe.