Re:Germany's Wolf Population on the Rise
by wirrbel on Tuesday December 19, 2017 @04:26PM
(#15964463)
what specifically is your issue with Oostvaardersplassen?
Re:Germany's Wolf Population on the Rise
by swerner on Tuesday December 19, 2017 @06:05PM
(#15965298)
It demonstrates how going from cultured land to a natural reserve doesn't necessarily lead to a balanced ecosystem. There you have a herbivore population that requires culling in order to prevent mass starvation from exhausting the food supply.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oostvaardersplassen#Natural_pr...
In the absence of natural predators the rangers shoot animals that are unlikely to survive. It is quite common for 30 to 60 per cent of the population to be killed in this way. After a cull, the vegetation has a chance to recover and this will get the first natural afforestation of the area under way.
When wolves return, we're not going to get some romantic version of fairy tale wild nature back - Germany doesn't have large enough preservation areas for that to happen[1]. Anyone who claims to be able to predict the future of wolf in Germany is just full of it - both sides of the debate.
[1]The Dutch Oostvaardersplassen is one example of what can happen when you naively try to turn tiny areas into a "natural wilderness habitat".