Author Q&A: Behavioural responses of Bonelli’s eagles to human disturbances: Assessing the effect on reproduction and suggested mitigating measures.

By José E. Martínez, Iñigo Zuberogoitia, José F. Calvo, Mario Álvarez, Beatriz Arroyo, Antoni Margalida

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What was the inspiration for this article?

Our lines of research focus on finding ways to balance human development and wildlife conservation objectives, using the Bonelli’s eagle as a study model, in a Mediterranean region.

How does your article inform future research?

Our study finds that Bonelli’s eagles can develop a degree of tolerance to human activities during the nesting season. This behavioural response offers the opportunity to harmonise anthropogenic activities with the implementation of species-specific conservation measures in humanised landscapes. Our research highlights the importance of further behavioural response studies in this and other long-lived raptors focusing on the impact of recreational activities, particularly in a context where human activities are increasing in space and time.

Why did you choose People and Nature for your research?

People and Nature is dedicated to publishing interdisciplinary research exploring the relationships between humans and nature, so their profile was a good fit for our research. Our research work focuses on the relationships between a threatened apex predator, Bonelli’s eagle, and humans in a Mediterranean region.