Data from: Recovery of large carnivores in Europe’s modern human-dominated landscapes

The conservation of large carnivores is a formidable challenge for biodiversity conservation. Using a data set on the past and current status of brown bears (Ursus arctos), Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), gray wolves (Canis lupus), and wolverines (Gulo gulo) in European countries, we show that roughly one-third of mainland Europe hosts at least one large carnivore species, with stable or increasing abundance in most cases in 21st-century records. The reasons for this overall conservation success include protective legislation, supportive public opinion, and a variety of practices making coexistence between large carnivores and people possible. The European situation reveals that large carnivores and people can share the same landscape.大型食肉动物保护是生物多样性保护领域的一项严峻挑战。本研究依托欧洲各国棕熊（Ursus arctos）、欧亚猞猁（Lynx lynx）、灰狼（Canis lupus）及貂熊（Gulo gulo）的历史与现状数据集开展分析，结果显示：欧洲大陆约三分之一的区域至少栖息有一种大型食肉动物，且在21世纪的监测记录中，多数种群的数量保持稳定或呈增长趋势。此次整体保护成效显著，其原因包括健全的保护立法、公众的支持态度，以及一系列可实现大型食肉动物与人类共存的实践方案。欧洲的实践案例证实，大型食肉动物与人类完全能够共享同一生态空间。