Large predators in the Alps: The fall and rise of man's competitors

Abstract

The brown bear Ursus arctos, wolf Canis lupus, and Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx vanished during the 18th and 19th centuries from all regions of high human activity in Europe because of direct persecution and environmental changes. Bear, wolf, and lynx were vulnerable in different ways to deforestation and the destruction of wild ungulate populations. Analysing the ecological factors responsible for the fall of the large carnivores can help to prepare their recovery. The return of large predators into semi-natural areas such as the Alps is possible, as the forests have expanded, and the wild ungulate populations increased. Lynx reintroduction in the Alps started in the 1970s. Wolves returned to the south-western Alps from the central Italian population in the early 1990s. The brown bear is recolonising the Austrian Alps from Slovenia. However, the modern protective legislation is not backed by a cooperative attitude among the affected people. In rural areas, large carnivores are still regarded as unrestrained killers of wildlife and livestock. Ecological conditions and husbandry in the Alps have been altered substantially since the large carnivores were eradicated, and the potential for conflicts has diminished. But stockmen have lost any remaining tradition of coexistence with large predators, and sheep are again very abundant in the Swiss Alps. The return of the large predators will not be possible without changing the system of sheep-husbandry. The rural people are not yet willing to do so. They generally object to any change in their lifestyle induced from outside, and the large predators become a negative symbol for restrictive conservation measures considered to hinder economic development. Nature conservation, including the reintegration of large predators, must be integrated into rural development; local people must be much more involved in this process.