Outcomes (wp3)
Summary
Animal tracking in the forested area around the paths studied showed that a substantial number of mammal and bird species were active during the dark season, enabling the development of a novel database linking wildlife presence in Nordic winter and dark environments. Several species consistently used areas near the illuminated path year-round, including during the dark season and in coexistence with human activity. Wildlife monitoring across human use gradients in recreational natural areas, combined with feeding experiments, revealed seasonally shifting activity patterns indicative of adaptive behavioral responses to human presence. A database was collected from 2023-2025 containing approximately 280.000 photos from mammals and 160.00 photos from birds. Additional information has been added to the database including some information on natural light and weather conditions. Analyses, interpretations and follow up studies are in process.
Figure: Preliminary results showing diel activity patterns of humans, human–dog pairs, foxes, and deer at 100 m of the illuminated path throughout the year. Winter (“dark season”) was defined as 16 November–15 February, spring as 16 February–15 May, summer as 16 May–15 August, and autumn as 16 August–15 November.
