Bibliographic Details
| Title: |
Changes in wildlife activity patterns in response to war in Ukraine. |
| Authors: |
Kudrenko, Svitlana (AUTHOR), Bischof, Richard (AUTHOR), Zedrosser, Andreas (AUTHOR), Selva, Nuria (AUTHOR), Korepanova, Kateryna (AUTHOR), Vyshnevskiy, Denys (AUTHOR), Gahbauer, Martin (AUTHOR), Obrizan, Serhii (AUTHOR), Domashevskiy, Serhii (AUTHOR), Borsuk, Oleksandr (AUTHOR), Varukha, Alona (AUTHOR), Heurich, Marco (AUTHOR) |
| Source: |
Science. 6/18/2026, Vol. 392 Issue 6804, p1282-1286. 5p. |
| Subjects: |
Russian invasion of Ukraine, 2022-, Animal behavior, Russian armed forces, War, Scouting cameras |
| Geographic Terms: |
Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Zone of Alienation, Chornobyl (Ukraine), Ukraine |
| Abstract: |
Conflict zones are inherently hazardous and inaccessible for researchers, which results in a knowledge gap about the immediate effects of armed conflicts on the environment, particularly wildlife. We used camera-trap detections to investigate the impact of armed conflict on wildlife activity patterns before, during, and after the Russian occupation of the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone (Ukraine) in 2022 and compared it to the same period in 2021. Mammal species responded to armed conflict through immediate behavioral adjustments, including reduced activity during night and on dates when armed-conflict activities intensified. Our results provide insight into wildlife's behavioral responses to armed conflict in real time and underscore the potential of camera trapping to quantify the ecological effects of war. Editor's summary: Armed conflicts are horrific for the human beings involved, and they are also bad for wildlife. Understanding the effects of such conflicts is challenging, however, given the limited safe access for researchers. Kudrenko et al. were able to take advantage of camera traps already in operation to understand the impacts on wildlife of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, specifically the occupation of the Chornobyl exclusion zone. They found clear effects of conflict on mammals in the region, including reduced activity, especially during active conflict. Such impacts confirm that political instability does not just harm the humans directly involved. —Sacha Vignieri [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: |
Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
