European bison recovery in shared landscapes: Anticipating conflicts before they escalate.
© Rafal KowalczykWhere can European bison thrive - and where could conflicts grow?
We combined spatial conflict indicators with an individual-based population model to map where conflict hotspots with agriculture, forestry and traffic may emerge as European bison recover across Central Europe – and where low-conflict “coldspots” remain that could support restoration.
Our results can help target coexistence measures before conflicts escalate. They also show an important trade-off: regulating bison numbers to reduce conflict could strongly limit population recovery and range expansion.