Best Practice Knowledge Base
8.1 Bison
Bison grazing. Mundenhof, Freiburg, Germany © Hernán Serrano-León
Reintroducing European bison (Bison bonasus) into forest ecosystems is a strategic restoration method aimed at enhancing ecological processes and biodiversity. As Europe's largest terrestrial mammal, the bison functions as a keystone species, influencing vegetation dynamics through grazing, browsing, and trampling, which in turn creates a mosaic of habitats that support diverse plant and animal communities. It can also help control shrub and tree encroachment in order to maintain open spaces and grasslands. Successful reintroduction efforts, such as those in the Southern Carpathians of Romania, have demonstrated the species' positive impact on ecosystem health and its role in promoting natural forest regeneration. However, challenges remain, including ensuring genetic diversity, managing human-wildlife conflicts, consideration for livestock, carefully choosing suitable habitats and considering its effects on the current social and ecological systems, and securing long-term population viability. Ongoing monitoring, research and careful and adaptive management are essential when considering bison reintroduction.
I. Guidelines
| Nº | Title | Author | Year | Focus Region | Language | Summary | Link |
| 1 | Bison Rewilding Plan 2014–2024 | Vlasakker - Rewilding Europe | 2014 | Europe | English | Guidelines with a favorable look into bison rewilding in Europe, with guidelines on bison reintroduction. | https://rewildingeurope.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Bison-Rewilding-Plan-2014.pdf |
II. Books or book chapters
| Nº | Title | Author | Chapter | Chapter author | Year | Focus region | Language | Summary | Link |
| 1 | Re-bisoning the West | Repanshek | - | - | 2019 | US | English | Evidence-based reflections on how to repopulate the western US with bison | https://www.torreyhouse.org/rebisoning-the-west |
| 2 | European bison: The nature monograph | Krasińsk & Krasiński | - | - | 2013 | Europe | English | Perspectives for the reintroduction of the bison in eastern Europe | https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-642-36555-3 |
III. Scientific articles
| Nº | Title | Author | Year | Focus region | Language | Type | Summary | Link |
| 1 | Wolf (Canis lupus) predation and scavenging of reintroduced bison (Bison bison): a hallmark of ecological restoration to boreal food webs | Jung et al. | 2023 | Canada | English | Observational study | Documents wolf predation on reintroduced bison to understand their integration into local ecosystems | https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-023-01676-0 |
| 2 | European bison (Bison bonasus) increase plant species richness in forest habitats | Gottlieb et al. | 2024 | Denmark | English | Experiment | Investigation on the impact of European bison on ground vegetation in forest plots over a period of eight years | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2024.121891 |
| 3 | The European bison as seed dispersers: the effect on the species composition of a disturbed pine forest community | Jaroszewicz et al. | 2008 | Poland | English | Experiment | Study on the change in plant species composition in a pine-spruce forest influenced by European bison seed dispersal | https://doi.org/10.1139/B08-012 |
| 4 | Implications of Spatial Habitat Diversity on Diet Selection of European Bison and Przewalski’s Horses in a Rewilding Area | Zielke et al. | 2019 | Germany | English | Observational study | Study on the seasonal diet preferences and foraging niches of reintroduced European bison and Przewalski's horses | https://doi.org/10.3390/d11040063 |
| 5 | Do large herbivores maintain open habitats in temperate forests? | Kowalczyk et al. | 2021 | Poland | English | Experiment | Study on the impact of European bison and other ungulates on tree encroachment in open habitats in Poland | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2021.119310 |
| 6 | Reintroduction of large herbivores restored plant species richness in abandoned dry temperate grassland | Dvorský et al. | 2022 | Czech Republic | English | Experiment | Influence of the introduction of large herbivores in the conservation status of a forest-steppe savanna with xeric grasslands | https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-022-01225-w |
| 7 | Rewilding Europe's large grazer community: how functionally diverse are the diets of European bison, cattle, and horses? | Cromsigt et al. | 2018 | Netherlands | English | Experiment | Investigates the dietary diversity and vegetation impact of European bison, cattle, and horses in a rewilding project in the Netherlands | https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.12661 |
| 8 | The Reintroduction Analysis of European Bison (Bison bonasus L., 1758) in the North of Romania and the Identification of the Most Favourable Locations | Dănilă et al. | 2022 | Romania | English | Descriptive study | Analyzes the conservation status, ecological requirements, and reintroduction strategies of European bison, with a specific focus on Romania | https://doi.org/10.3390/f13060920 |