PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF WILD BOAR IN EUROPE: THE STORY OF A SURVIVOR

The wild boar is an omnivorous generalist, known by its high plasticity and ability to explore new niches. This ungulate is the most important large-game species in Europe and an ecologically relevant species in many ecosystems. This species has gone through population declines and expansions, during the last millennia, that left evidences in this species genome. Wild boar is also the native stock from which our domestic pig breeds were selected. There is strong evidence of current gene flow between wild boar and domestic pig. Currently, wild boar populations are expanding throughout Europe and the future impacts of this expansion are yet to be known. In this talk, I will present some insights about the past and present of wild boar populations in Europe and promote the discussion of the future challenges regarding the conservation and management of this species.

Eduardo Ferreira is a post-doc fellow and invited assistant professor at the University of Aveiro. His main research focus is the characterization of the population structure, genetic diversity and gene flow of wildlife species (mostly ungulates and carnivores), in a context of wildlife conservation. More recently, he started to collaborate in the development of strategies for raising people’s environmental awareness, as a way towards biodiversity and ecosystem conservation.

[Host: Nádia Moraes-Barros, Conservation Genetics and Wildlife Management]

Image credits: Carlos Fonseca