Experts reveal stunning potential impact of reintroducing predator to landscape for first time in 250 years
Wolves, apex predators with fascinating social structures and a side job as pollinators, could be the key to restoring the Scottish Highlands.
Reintroducing the creatures to the area would keep deer populations in check, allow saplings to grow, and remove 1 million tonnes (1.1 million tons) of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, according to University of Leeds researchers, The Guardian reported.
In the Cairngorms and southwest, northwest, and central Highlands, red deer prevent the natural regeneration of woodlands. Just 167 gray wolves could account for 5% of the carbon removal goal for U.K. woodlands, meaning each animal is worth £154,000 (around $195,000).
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This idea is not new; reintroducing wolves to the Highlands has been discussed for more than 50 years. The carnivorous canines have been absent from Scotland for approximately 250 years, The Guardian reported. (There are around 18,000 wolves in Western Europe.)
In their absence, red deer have exploded, with the population reaching 400,000 in the country alone.
Amid such initiatives as a wolf hunt in Sweden, a reintroduction program in Scotland would be welcomed by many. But farmers, rural communities, and hunters may not support such an effort, and the species' continental comeback — an uptick of 50% over the last dozen years — has sparked concern as well, especially regarding livestock, as the newspaper detailed.
"Our aim is to provide new information to inform ongoing and future discussions about the possibility of wolf reintroductions both in the U.K. and elsewhere," the study's co-author Lee Schofield told The Guardian. "We recognise that substantial and wide-ranging stakeholder and public engagement would clearly be essential before any wolf reintroduction could be considered.
"Human-wildlife conflicts involving carnivores are common and must be addressed through public policies that account for people's attitudes for a reintroduction to be successful," Schofield added.
Rewilding Britain reported that wolves not only control deer populations but also help feed other species via carcasses. The Eurasian wolf, a keystone species that reaches speeds of 62 kilometers per hour (39 mph), "can reduce overgrazing and support the establishment of woodlands and mosaic habitats, which in turn boosts biodiversity and transforms landscapes."
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