Human‐induced landscape of fear promotes coexistence in equids, facilitating the successful reintroduction of Przewalski's horses in the Gobi Desert

Abstract Research Highlight : Cao QL, Zhang Y, Songer M, Leimgruber P, Hu D, Li J, Wang C & Rubenstein DI (2025) Coexistence between Przewalski’s horse and Asiatic wild ass in the desert: the importance of people. Journal of Applied Ecology, https://doi.org/10.1111/1365‐2664.70013 . The human imprint is complex and sometimes unpredictable and surprising. By instilling fear in some species, humans may provide refuges for other species. Using camera‐trap data from 16 water points, Cao et al. originally showed how the coexistence of Przewalski’s horses and Asiatic wild asses in the Dzungarian Gobi is driven by the avoidance of water points near human infrastructures by Asiatic wild asses, which leaves some water points undepleted by the large herds of wild asses roaming in this region. Such finding is of high interest in a context of on‐going efforts for the reintroduction of Przewalski’s horses in the Gobi Desert and of a context of a warmer and drier climate.