"Thirty years ago, park rangers reintroduced grey wolves into Yellowstone National Park. They wanted to restore the ecosystem and get the elk population, which had decimated the plant community, in check. And it worked or so the popular narrative suggests. But is it really so simple? Today on the show, we explore how the Yellowstone ecosystem has changed since wolves returned and whether those changes can really be pinned solely"
"on wolves. Plus, how the narrative of the Yellowstone wolf legacy could affect wolf reintroduction elsewhere. Curious about other science controversies? Email us at shortwave@npr.org. Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave. Listen to Short Wave on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. This episode was produced by Rachel Carlson and Hannah Chinn, edited by Rebecca and fact checked by Berly McCoy and Tyler Jones. Kwesi Lee was the audio engineer."
Thirty years ago park rangers reintroduced grey wolves into Yellowstone National Park to restore ecosystem balance and curb an elk population that had decimated plant communities. Popular narratives credit the wolf return with a broad ecological recovery, including vegetation rebound and altered elk behavior. Scientific evaluation shows ecosystem changes since reintroduction are complex and may involve multiple drivers beyond wolves alone. Determining causal links requires careful analysis of interacting factors such as climate, human activity, other species, and long-term population dynamics. Perceptions of the Yellowstone wolf legacy could shape decisions about future wolf reintroduction efforts elsewhere.
Read at www.npr.org
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]