Project R-12839

Understanding human-wildlife interactions in contrasted protected areas - a novel methodological approach (Research)

Worldwide, protected areas contribute to the conservation of natural elements and provide natural resources and use for humans. In Western-Europe, previously extinct species seem to return, and other species have never been so abundant. The home ranges of these species are simultaneously and more frequently used by humans for recreational purposes; the current Covid-19 period accelerated this even more. Consequently, understanding human-wildlife interactions is imperative to design sustainable nature management strategies to answer both human and animal needs. Until now, indirect stated preference or revealed preference techniques were used to assess spatial and temporal habitat use of National Parks (NPs). In this project we will use geotagged user-generated data from social media and sports apps combined with conventional camera traps and targeted surveys to understand the influence of recreational activities on spatiotemporal activity patterns, occupancy and distribution of mammal species in two Belgian NPs and vice versa. This study's final practical objective is to contribute to the design of a well-balanced nature management plan for National Parks in or close to densely populated zones by shedding light on the presence, distribution and activity patterns of wildlife species within a protected area; recreational activities within a protected area; and the impact of wildlife presence on human recreational activities and vice versa

01 October 2022 - 30 September 2026