Human activity on hiking trails is driving grizzly bears and wolves far away from their native habitats.
Even when trails are significantly far away, these wild animals retreat to remote areas to avoid people, changing local ecosystems.
What's happening?
As the University of Alberta reported, researchers studied how wildlife and recreationists coexist in the Bow River Valley in Canada. Between 2007 and 2022, they monitored the movements of large carnivores using cameras in over 1,600 locations.
The researchers found that the animals avoided busy trails with hikers and were further displaced over large distances. They were shocked to learn that so-called "zones of influence" were much larger than expected.
About 50% of humans' effects on high-use trails were apparent 300 meters (nearly 1,000 feet) away for grizzly bears. Meanwhile, that level of human activity affected wolves' whereabouts 600 meters (1,968 feet) from trails.
"When trails become busier, people may not realize the extent to which they are disrupting wildlife movement and habitat security," Peter Thompson, a Simon Fraser University postdoctoral fellow who led the study, said.
Why are shifting wildlife habitats important?
This study is significant because it shows the extent of human impact on wildlife in public parks. Human recreation influences animals' behaviors right next to trails but is also more widespread throughout entire regions.
With this knowledge, the researchers hope that park and land managers will work to create and enforce safe and quiet spaces for wildlife. Many animals only thrive in undisturbed habitats, as human threats impact breeding, hunting, foraging, and other essential patterns.
The need to manage human activity in natural areas is even greater in places with year-round recreation since wildlife doesn't get a seasonal break from people who occupy their habitats.
What's being done about humans' impact on wildlife in parks?
Fortunately, studies such as this are bringing attention to how people impact animals in the wild.
Scientists are analyzing ways to prevent mass extinctions and adverse human-animal interactions.
This is crucial right now, as urban expansion and increases in human-caused pollution are making it challenging for animals to find places to live with access to clean air and water.
"This research highlights the critical need to manage human use in a way that allows people to share the landscape with these wary predators," Colleen Cassady St. Clair, from the university's Department of Biological Sciences, said.
As an outdoor enthusiast, you can protect wildlife and their habitats by staying on designated hiking trails and keeping your distance from animals. Pack out your trash, keep dogs on a leash, and avoid parks during sensitive times of the year when vulnerable species are mating, nesting, and raising their young.
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