Swiss Review 6/2020

Swiss Review / November 2020 / No.6 14 Society litical lobby. Provisions governing the reintroduction and resettlement of once-extinct animals are now legally enshrined. Despite legislation, arguments flare up practically every time any species is transplanted back into Swit- zerland. And the fundamental ques- tion never changes: how many of these animals can be resettled with- out causing major problems such as crop damage or livestock losses? The law stipulates which animals can be controlled and when. Yet public feel- ing regularly runs high regardless, ei- ther when animals cause harm or damage, or when animals are shot be- cause of the very problems they cause. The revised Hunting Act, rejected by voters on 27 September 2020, was the latest chapter in this perennial and emotional saga. It was mainly wolves that were caught in the pre-referen- dum crossfire. Taking into account such sensitiv- ities, the reintroduction project on the Stockhorn massif has already in- volved in-depth consultation with farmers and pasture owners. Alfred Schwarz: “They told us that they are worried about ibexes depriving their livestock of food and potentially transmitting diseases.” Big challenges Reinhard Schnidrig, the man at the Federal Office for the Environ- ment with overall responsibility for wildlife conservation, is currently assessing the Stockhorn project ap- plication. Schnidrig says that the re- introduction of the ibex into Switzer- land has basically been a success. But he also believes that big challenges lie ahead over the next 100 years: “Unregulated hunting used to be the problem. Now it is our intensive use of Alpine areas.” Due to the boom in outdoor sports, the ibex and other wild animals now compete with mountain lovers for space, he ex- plains. Interest in the Alpine envi- ronment is a good thing, but this should not be to the detriment of wild animals. “Before we reintroduce animals, we always need to think about how we manage the situation on the ground,” he says. Climate change is another issue. Higher temperatures are driving the ibex further up the mountains. In the Swiss National Park; females and their offspring now live at altitudes that are 120 metres higher on average than they were 25 years ago. This brings them closer and closer to the summer grazing areas of the males. “Over the long term, this could lead to greater competition for food within the spe- cies,” says Lozza. Yet outside influences are not the only challenge facing the Alpine ibex. A lack of genetic diversity is another Achilles heel. Essentially, Switzer- land’s ibexes are descendants of the animals that were originally smug- gled from Italy; their gene pool is still very small. These genetic limitations probably explain why some ibex colo- nies are no longer growing as strongly as they once were. Inbreeding also means that they are more susceptible to diseases. Schnidrig therefore be- lieves that inserting both Swiss and foreign ibexes into new colonies is an option worth considering. It remains to be seen whether for- eign ibexeswill be scrambling around the slopes of the Stockhornmassif one day. First, the project is hoping to get the green light fromBerne. The aim is to start introducing the first animals as early as spring 2021. MIREILLE GUGGENBÜHLER IS A FREELANCE JOURNALIST WHO LIVES IN THUN A mighty ibex in the Valais mountains. These impressive animals will soon be a feature on the Stockhorn massif if the Friends of the Stockhorn have anything to do with it. Photo: Willi Zengaffinen