Large Herbivores
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Increase abundance of released horses, bison and Tauros
Improving
Iberian Highlands
Spain
Problem: Populations of missing keystone or flagship species that support trophic network functions are missing across the landscape. Species of large herbivores are absent or only present in very low numbers in the Iberian Highlands.
Action: Free-living populations of large herbivores are being reintroduced into the project area to reinstate a natural grazing regime leading to increased habitat heterogeneity, and support recovery of trophic networks.
Indicator: The number of animal released, their survival and the population trend for each reintroduced species (wild horses, Tauros, bison) in the project landscape will indicate the success of the translocations and their impact on the project area.
Przewalski’s horses, which are being reintroduced as part of the project. Photo: Rewilding Spain.
Tauros, a species being released as part of the project. Photo: Rewilding Spain.
Methods
The number of animals of each species released into the landscape will be recorded. Because the animals are currently classified as livestock, all arrivals, births and deaths must be registered according to national livestock regulations. These records of mortality and productivity will therefore be used to give an annual estimate of the population size for each species in each area (Fig. 1).
If any potential future legislation change allows these animals to be classified as wild, and as the populations increase and expand, camera trapping will also be used to estimate the abundance of each species.
Figure 1: Iberian Highlands project area, and the four reintroduction sites in which large herbivores are being released.
Results
At the start of the project no large herbivores had been introduced into the landscape. Introductions of both wild horses (Pottoka, Przewalski’s and Serrano breeds) and Tauros took place in both 2023 and 2024 at the four sites shown in Fig. 1, leading to an increasing population of large herbivores (Fig. 2).
Data on rabbit populations will be added once available.
Figure 2. Total number of living individuals of each large herbivore breed present across the project area in successive years, combining introductions, births and deaths.
Partners
