Page 29 - bon-dia-aruba-20200810

A29
SCIENCE Monday 10 august 2020
Bison, wild horses bring biodiversity to ex-army base

first time since 1967.
"If we give nature a
chance, if we give it time
and space, it can take
care of many things," said
Miloslav Jirku, a biologist
with the Czech Academy
of Sciences who has been
involved in the project from
the start.
"At the very beginning, I
thought that lots of species
that used to be here in the
1990s would have to be
returned artificially. Today,
a number of them are al-
ready here without us do-
ing anything about it," he
said.q

A bison rubs against a bush at a wildlife sanctuary in Milovice, Czech Republic, Friday, July 17, 2020.
Associated Press

By KAREL JANICEK this year. The animals' task sheep were ruled out be- tional Park, while European
Associated Press is to improve biodiversity cause they would feed bisons came from several
MILOVICE, Czech Republic among local plants by eat- on endangered plants as reserves in Poland.
(AP) — Wild horses, bison ing invasive ones while sav- well. Mechanical cutting The project now has herds
and other big-hoofed ani- ing endangered species, of the invasive plants was of 27 European bisons, 25
mals once roamed freely in said Dalibor Dostal, the di- deemed too costly. tauros and some 70 wild
much of Europe. Now they rector of European Wildlife, While invasive grasses are a horses.
are transforming a former an organization behind the delicacy for wild horses, Eu- The animals move freely on
military base outside the project. ropean bisons and tauros the pastures on the former
Czech capital in an ambi- "It's a miraculous change," prefer bushes, creating an military base year-round.
tious project to improve Dostal said. "Nobody ex- ideal partnership. With water sources avail-
biodiversity. pected that the whole The invasive plants began able, they are able to care
Where occupying Soviet process would go ahead to grow after Soviet troops, for themselves, even in win-
troops once held exercises, so fast and the area would who stayed on after the ter.
massive bovines called tau- change so much in just a 1968 Soviet-led invasion of The landscape quickly saw
ros and other heavy beasts few years." then-Czechoslovakia, final- signs of transformation.
now munch on the invasive He said the large animals ly withdrew from the base Flowers started to dot the
plants that took over the are as key to preserving the in 1991. area as early as the sec-
base years ago. ecosystem "as trees are for Former military bases are ond year of the project
The animals are turning forests." considered places with as the large herbivores re-
the former Milovice mili- David Storch, an environ- great biodiversity, the con- duced the tall, dense in-
tary base 35 kilometers (22 ment professor at Prague's servationists said, because vasive grasses. Today, the
miles) northeast of Prague Charles University who was soldiers' activities simulated whole area changes colors
into a miniature version of not involved in the project, the impacts of hoofed ani- over the course of the year,
the steppe that once rolled agreed. He said the project mals. depending on what flowers
across the European conti- is "absolutely unique" be- The Czech project includes are in bloom.
nent. cause it shows that nature tauros that were transferred The most precious is the
With some species wiped can be preserved not only from the Netherlands, star gentian, also known as
out in the wild, the animals by protecting it from hu- where a cross-breeding a cross gentian. The blue
now have the chance to man activities but also by program aimed at coming flower is now flourishing at
live together again in rela- actively shaping it with big- close to the original spe- Milovice more than any-
tive freedom. Conserva- hoofed animals. cies, the aurochs, started where else in the country.
tionists deployed them at The selection of the animals in 2008. That wild ancestor The former base also has
Milovice five years ago. was based on the experi- of today's cattle became become abundant in other
Now they hope to enlarge ences of conservationists in extinct in the 17th century. animals and insects. The
the sanctuary by one third various countries. Wild horses were transport- Adonis blue, a butterfly, has
to 360 hectares (890 acres) Domestic animals such as ed from Britain's Exmoor Na- been spotted there for the