How Yellowstone's wolves show the importance of saving Scotland's critically endangered pine hoverfly
Every species has an important role to play in its ecosystem and its loss or reintroduction can have surprisingly large effects
In 1995, grey wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone in the US. The consequences then proceeded to astonish scientists studying the famous national park. According to Doug Smith, a wildlife biologist with the Yellowstone Wolf Project, it was “like kicking a pebble down a mountain slope where conditions were just right that a falling pebble could trigger an avalanche of change”.
The wolves’ presence meant elk had to keep on the move, so they couldn’t stay in one place and gorge on young willow plants. That was good news for beavers, who needed willow to survive. So their population soared. They built more dams and ponds, creating better habitats for fish, while songbirds found new homes in the stands of willow. All thanks to the wolf.
This landmark natural experiment underlines just how important a single species can be to an ecosystem and how each one has a role to play. It is also a reminder that conservation is not simply something that is nice to have but a fundamentally important task.
READ MORE: How lynx and wolf reintroductions to Britain could be shaped by preconceptions and psychology
Lynx and wolves in Scotland?
In Scotland, beavers have been recently reintroduced in several areas – to a mixed reaction from the public – and there have been calls from some quarters for the return of the lynx and even the wolf. We suspect bringing back large predators may prove to be a step too far for most people.
However, there is still scope for significant progress to be made by reintroducing and saving species that are smaller, arguably not as photogenic and certainly less controversial, such as the critically endangered pine hoverfly.
READ MORE: Wolves and rewilding: Reactions to the reintroduction of this 'apex predator' speak volumes
So we welcome the news that conservationists at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) have just released the 30,000th pine hoverfly into the Cairngorms National Park as part of the major breeding programme.
“Each individual pine hoverfly larva and egg is a lifeline for our native population and, collectively, these little insects have a huge positive impact on forest ecosystems, acting both as pollinators and waste removers,” RZSS says.
The pine hoverfly may not have as many metaphorical ‘followers on social media’ as the wolf, but this is real, meaningful conservation in action. Not as glamorous, perhaps, but potentially just as important.
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