A large study published in Science reports that wild animals change behaviour in response to the presence of people as well as to habitat alteration. The research was a six-year global collaboration involving Yale and more than fifty academic and governmental organisations, led by Ruth Oliver and Scott Yanco.
Researchers combined GPS tracking of 37 species across the United States with mobile phone and satellite measures of human disturbance. The team gathered about 11.8 million location points from over 4,500 animals, including white-tailed deer, wolves, coyotes, raccoons, vultures and cranes. Lockdowns in 2020 helped the team separate short-term human presence from longer-term landscape change like urbanisation and agriculture.
Results showed that more than 65% of species altered their movements when people were present, especially in less-developed natural settings. Some species reduced the area they used, others expanded it. The authors say conservation should consider where and when people are present and use targeted measures such as limiting traffic or reducing disturbance in sensitive habitats.
Difficult words
- habitat — Natural environment where a species lives and grows
- alteration — A change in conditions or structure of environment
- collaboration — Work between people or organisations together
- disturbance — Something that interrupts or bothers an area
- lockdown — A period when people stay at home and travel stopslockdowns
- urbanisation — The process of land changing into towns or cities
- conservation — Protection and careful use of nature and wildlife
- species — A group of similar living animals or plants
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Do people near you affect wild animals? Give one local example and explain how.
- Which measure from the article (limit traffic or reduce disturbance) would work best where you live? Why?
- How could local communities help conservation when animals change their movements?
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