Badger Meles meles as Ecosystem Engineer and Its Legal Status in Europe

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dc.abstract.enThe European badger plays an important role as a natural factor shaping species diversity in forests. Its extensive setts can be used by many other animals as shelters. Soil perturbations in their setts support plant communities that differ from the matrix landscape. The badger is also an effective seed disperser. We investigated its role as an ecosystem engineer in preserving species diversity and discussed its legal status across Europe. In most European countries (69.3% of the continent), the badger is hunted, sometimes year-round. The hunting season lasting through winter until early spring may have a negative effect on badger populations, especially when cubs are born in February. Although this species is Red Listed in 19 European countries (with categories ranging from LC to EN), the badger is strictly protected by law in 30.7% of its European range. A reduction in badger populations may limit its ecosystem services (seed dispersal, topsoil disturbances, microhabitat creation). Much new data on the importance of badgers in ecosystem engineering has allowed us to reconsider how we manage badger populations.
dc.affiliationWydział Leśny i Technologii Drewna
dc.affiliation.instituteKatedra Botaniki i Siedliskoznawstwa Leśnego
dc.contributor.authorKurek, Przemysław
dc.contributor.authorPiechnik, Łukasz
dc.contributor.authorWiatrowska, Blanka
dc.contributor.authorWażna, Agnieszka
dc.contributor.authorNowakowski, Krzysztof
dc.contributor.authorPardavila, Xosé
dc.contributor.authorCichocki, Jan
dc.contributor.authorSeget, Barbara
dc.date.access2025-12-29
dc.date.accessioned2025-12-29T09:10:49Z
dc.date.available2025-12-29T09:10:49Z
dc.date.copyright2022-03-31
dc.date.issued2022
dc.description.abstract<jats:p>The European badger plays an important role as a natural factor shaping species diversity in forests. Its extensive setts can be used by many other animals as shelters. Soil perturbations in their setts support plant communities that differ from the matrix landscape. The badger is also an effective seed disperser. We investigated its role as an ecosystem engineer in preserving species diversity and discussed its legal status across Europe. In most European countries (69.3% of the continent), the badger is hunted, sometimes year-round. The hunting season lasting through winter until early spring may have a negative effect on badger populations, especially when cubs are born in February. Although this species is Red Listed in 19 European countries (with categories ranging from LC to EN), the badger is strictly protected by law in 30.7% of its European range. A reduction in badger populations may limit its ecosystem services (seed dispersal, topsoil disturbances, microhabitat creation). Much new data on the importance of badgers in ecosystem engineering has allowed us to reconsider how we manage badger populations.</jats:p>
dc.description.accesstimeat_publication
dc.description.bibliographyil., bibliogr.
dc.description.financepublication_nocost
dc.description.financecost0,00
dc.description.if3,0
dc.description.number7
dc.description.points100
dc.description.versionfinal_published
dc.description.volume12
dc.identifier.doi10.3390/ani12070898
dc.identifier.issn2076-2615
dc.identifier.urihttps://sciencerep.up.poznan.pl/handle/item/6538
dc.identifier.weblinkhttps://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/12/7/898
dc.languageen
dc.relation.ispartofAnimals
dc.relation.pagesart. 898
dc.rightsCC-BY
dc.sciencecloudnosend
dc.share.typeOPEN_JOURNAL
dc.subject.enEuropean badger
dc.subject.enMustelidae
dc.subject.enecosystem engineer
dc.subject.enhabitat creation
dc.subject.enecosystem services
dc.subject.enseed dispersal
dc.subject.enhunting season
dc.subject.enspecies diversity
dc.subtypeReviewArticle
dc.titleBadger Meles meles as Ecosystem Engineer and Its Legal Status in Europe
dc.title.volumeSpecial Issue Badger Ecology and Conservation
dc.typeJournalArticle
dspace.entity.typePublication
oaire.citation.issue7
oaire.citation.volume12