| Abstrakt: |
The movement of wildlife species in the winter and early spring is crucial for their survival and perpetuation, providing necessary resources and reproductive opportunities. Protecting and conserving biodiversity and natural ecosystems in protected areas offer essential measurable ecological benefits. Harghita Mădăraș protected area represents an essential habitat for numerous plant and animal species, playing a crucial role in maintaining regional biodiversity. The diversity of habitats provides optimal conditions for a variety of mammals, including those protected by EU laws, such as the brown bear, wolf, and lynx. Besides its biological value, the Harghita Mădăraș protected area attracts tourists, contributing to the cultural and recreational importance of the region. Mammal inventory, in the Harghita Mădăraș protected area, was conducted from January to March 2024, through the identification of presence signs and direct observations in the field, covering a distance of 77.8 km of transects in different environmental conditions. The collected data were compared with reported figures from hunting grounds overlapping the boundaries of the protected area, and the analysis of the intersections of the territories of inventoried species highlighted the relationship between prey and predator species, considering the average surface areas of their territories. Although coniferous forest habitats dominate in terms of coverage, the number of species and signs of presence identified in the field was significantly lower compared to transitional shrublands, which represent more valuable trophic sources. The transects conducted during the study highlighted that most resting areas were sunny slopes, where these species benefit from richer and more accessible food resources. Distances between signs of presence for the main predator species (wolf, bear, lynx) and the most relevant prey species (red deer, roe deer, wild boar) vary significantly. It’s essential to note that bear signs account for approximately 20% of the total, given the milder winter conditions in terms of temperature and precipitation. Harghita Mădăraș is particularly valuable from a faunal point of view, due to the habitats very little affected by anthropogenic factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
