Skiers' footprint on wildlife stress: Tracing the impact of winter sports on black grouse with interactive mapping.
5 affiliations
- 1School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
- 2Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
- 3Alpine Wildlife Research Centre, Gran Paradiso National Park, Noasca (TO), Italy.
- 4Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Konrad-Lorenz-Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria.
- 5Experimental Endocrinology, Department of Biological Sciences and Pathobiology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria.
Abstract
Human recreation in mountainous ecosystems, particularly skiing, poses a significant challenge for wildlife conservation, as evidenced by physiological stress responses observed in black grouse (Lyrurus tetrix). Here, we present a reusable workflow that integrates noninvasive fecal corticosterone metabolite (FCM) measurements, mixed-effects modeling, spatial prediction, and an interactive web application to quantify and map stress responses to winter sports. We analyzed 235 fecal samples for corticosterone metabolites as indicators of stress. Using a mixed-effects model, we observed that FCM levels in black grouse increased with higher skier numbers, particularly in proximity to ski slopes. To enhance understanding and management of these impacts, we then used the fitted model to produce 10-m resolution stress maps under alternative scenarios and embedded these in an interactive mapping tool, hosted at http://boydorr.gla.ac.uk/lucanelli/blackgrouse_stress, to visualize the stress impacts on black grouse under different skiing and environmental scenarios. This tool supports scenario-based management and research into wildlife disturbances and could inform future educational efforts to raise awareness among ski resort users about their potential impact on wildlife. The workflow can also be transferred to other species and disturbance contexts. Our study contributes to the broader efforts to manage human-wildlife conflicts in sensitive ecosystems, offering a novel and practical approach to harmonizing recreational activities with wildlife conservation.
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BibTeX
@article{nelli2026skiers,
title = {{Skiers' footprint on wildlife stress: Tracing the impact of winter sports on black grouse with interactive mapping.}},
author = {Luca Nelli and Lisa Marshall and Michele Battoraro and Geremia Illarietti and Alberto Meriggi and Bruno Bassano and Jason Matthiopoulos and Steve Smith and Rupert Palme},
journal = {Ecological applications : a publication of the Ecological Society of America},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1002/eap.70336},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42904794},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Skiers' footprint on wildlife stress: Tracing the impact of winter sports on black grouse with interactive mapping.
AU - Luca Nelli
AU - Lisa Marshall
AU - Michele Battoraro
AU - Geremia Illarietti
AU - Alberto Meriggi
AU - Bruno Bassano
AU - Jason Matthiopoulos
AU - Steve Smith
AU - Rupert Palme
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Ecological applications : a publication of the Ecological Society of America
DO - 10.1002/eap.70336
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42904794
AB - Human recreation in mountainous ecosystems, particularly skiing, poses a significant challenge for wildlife conservation, as evidenced by physiological stress responses observed in black grouse (Lyrurus tetrix). Here, we present a reusable workflow that integrates noninvasive fecal corticosterone metabolite (FCM) measurements, mixed-effects modeling, spatial prediction, and an interactive web application to quantify and map stress responses to winter sports. We analyzed 235 fecal samples for corticosterone metabolites as indicators of stress. Using a mixed-effects model, we observed that FCM levels in black grouse increased with higher skier numbers, particularly in proximity to ski slopes. To enhance understanding and management of these impacts, we then used the fitted model to produce 10-m resolution stress maps under alternative scenarios and embedded these in an interactive mapping tool, hosted at http://boydorr.gla.ac.uk/lucanelli/blackgrouse_stress, to visualize the stress impacts on black grouse under different skiing and environmental scenarios. This tool supports scenario-based management and research into wildlife disturbances and could inform future educational efforts to raise awareness among ski resort users about their potential impact on wildlife. The workflow can also be transferred to other species and disturbance contexts. Our study contributes to the broader efforts to manage human-wildlife conflicts in sensitive ecosystems, offering a novel and practical approach to harmonizing recreational activities with wildlife conservation.
SN - 1051-0761
ER -