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The Alps BulletinW

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1The wolf is back

Austria to lead alpine convention

Tropical fruits and fish in the Alps?

WWF Ecoregion Conservation Plan

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24th March, 2005

The Swiss town of Andermatt has decid-ed to try and protect its glacier, hard hitby global warming, with a foil made ofPVC. Andermatt, which is located closeto the Gotthard mountain pass, reliesheavily on ski-related tourism for most ofits revenue. The melting of the glacier istherefore first and foremost an economicproblem.

The WWF European Alpine Programmeexpresses strong reservations about the“Andermatt solution”.

It’s perfectly understandable that Alpinetowns like Andermatt try to cope with thesymptoms of climate change. But weshould not forget about the disease itself.Tackling the consequences of globalwarming at local level is tantamount toemptying the sea with a teaspoon. TheAndermatt proposal shows how locallyexpensive and unsustainable globalwarming can be!

There’s also a certain amount of irony inthe “solution” put forward by theAndermatt authorities: The production ofPVC is linked to the very fossil fuels thatare responsible for the global green-house effect causing the acceleratedglobal warming we are witnessing. Andalthough the use of petroleum for PVCproduction is comparatively moderateand the energy content comparably lowerthan in other types of plastic, PVC pro-duction implies the use of chlorine, withtoxic by-products and dioxin emissionsthat represent a huge environmental andhealth hazard.

The wane of the icegiantsThroughout the Alps glaciers are disap-pearing fast. Since 1850 the Swiss Alpshave lost more than 100 glaciers. Thesurface of the remaining Alpine glaciers

has shrunk by a third and their volume ishalf of what is was 150 years ago. Oneexample speaks for all: the TschiervaGlaciers, in Engadin, Switzerland hasreceded by more than 1,100 metres inthe last century. In the last 40 years mostAlpine glaciers have lost a considerablepart of their ice mass: HintereisfernerGlacier in Austria, the Gries Glacier inSwitzerland and the Sarennes Glaciers inFrance have each lost 14 metres in thick-ness from 1960. No PVC foil can stopthat.

The melting of glaciers has ominousimplications outside the Alpine region aswell. The Alps are Europe’s freshwaterreservoir. The disappearance of Alpineglaciers constitutes a clear and currentdanger to a lot of Europeans, not onlyeconomically but also in terms of healthand geopolitics (water shortage isalready fuelling political tensions all overthe world).

The 22nd March 2005 marked the begin-ning of the UN-declared decade of water.The melting of glaciers certainly does notrepresent a very good omen for thefuture of the world’s freshwaterresources. In the last two decades 10 to20 percent of all Alpine ice has been lostdue to global warming. During the excep-tionally hot and dry summer of 2003, 10

percent of the total ice volume of Alpineglaciers melted. We are left to wonder ifthere will be any glaciers left when theWater Decade ends in 2015. 70 percentof the world’s freshwater reserves arestored in glaciers in the form of ice. Lessglaciers, therefore, will mean less drink-ing water.

The problem is in no way only aEuropean one.

PVC Foil to Protect Alpine Glaciers?Patching up the symptoms instead of curing the

disease

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A quick fix?There’s no way all this can be fixed withthe help of PVC foils. Or by any local,partial measures. In the short run, such“solutions” may have the potential toboost domestic GDP, but in the long runthey don’t make any economic sense.The implementation of effective climateprotection measures will not only reduceglobal warming but will also bring abouthuge economic advantages. Useful sanc-tions ought to be enforced in order tostop the emission of greenhouse gases,which are the primary cause of the cur-rent warming, to increase energy efficien-cy and to reduce the consumption of fos-sil fuel energy sources.

The Andermatt story shows quite clearlyto what lengths local communities willhave to go in order to protect themselvesfrom the economic consequences ofinaction on the climate front. That is notto mention human consequences interms of natural disaster risks (land-slides, flooding, water shortage, disrup-tion of ecosystem…)

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achieve this results, by the year 2050 theglobal emission of greenhouse gasesmust be curtailed by more than 30 per-cent.

Real solutions taketime and commit-mentDespite the sensitivity of Switzerland’spublic opinion to climate change and its impact, the Swiss government decidedon 22nd March 2005 that the huge increase of traffic (plus 8 percent of CO2emissions since 1990) will not be tackled.A CO2 levy that should have been intro-duced on gasoline and diesel wasreplaced by a plan to buy CO2 certifi-cates from abroad. Considering the CO2emissions from imported goods, the percapita emissions in Switzerland are over10t CO2 per year. The CO2 law thatrequests emission reductions of 10% by2010 (compared to 1990) will not be ful-filled through domestic reductions. Apartfrom a CO2 levy other economic instru-ments should give incentives to invest inenergy efficiency, give preference to effi-cient products and support the switchfrom fossil to renewable energy sources.

Developed countries have to takeresponsibility and act accordingly. Orelse, what we will be stuck with is a verylarge, very useless PVC foil.

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Please read update on theAndermatt solution on page 12

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Mr Joseph Pöll, Austria’s Minister for the Environment said that Austria willfocus mainly on the approval of a freshwater protocol, on traffic issues and onthe completion of a status of the Alps report. Mr Pöll presented last monthAustria’s commitment as holder of the rotating presidency of the AlpineConvention.

The minister of the environment has drawn attention to the all-important role theAlps play in Europe's hydrological budget and on problems arising from conflic-ting claims on water resources. The EU Water Framework Directive provides animportant tool for cross-boundary protection of waters. However not all theAlpine Convention signatory states are also EU members. Therefore, said MrPöll, "we see the need for a legal framework involving the Alpine Conventionsignatories and we will work towards that goal". Mr Pöll's statement meets long-standing demands by CIPRA (the International

Commission for the Protection of the Alps) and other environmental organiza-

Tirol, Austria.River in winter. Lech valley, near Forchach, Tirol, Austria

Strong commitmentfor water

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Swiss made caviar?Tropical fruit and warm sea fish inthe Alps? It’s apparently what’sgoing to happen pretty soon in theBern Plateau region of

Switzerland, where a projectcalled ”Tropenhaus mit AquakulturFrutigen” (roughly “Tropical Houseand Aquafarm Frutigen”) in current-ly underway. The idea is simple butambitious: using warm water fromthe new Loetschberg tunnel con-struction site for the production oftropical fruit and the breeding ofwarm water fish. At the mouth ofthe tunnel, near the small town ofFrutigen, the tunnel excavation sitedischarges between 150-200lt/second of warm water (with tem-peratures between 18° and 20°Celsius).Until now that water has beendumped into the nearby flowing

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Kander river. The Swiss Federal Office forthe environment has stated that in the futurethe water from the tunnel will have to be arti-ficially cooled before being disposed of.

That’s where the Tropenhaus project comesin: instead of expensively cooling off waterfrom the mountain, the promoters intend touse it for the production of tropical fruits andfish.The main elements of the new project will bea greenhouse for tropical plants and outdoorbreeding tanks, for the production of ediblefish, mainly sturgeon. The total investmentshould be around €10 million. The pro-moters promise that the production of tropi-cal fruits and fish in the Alps will be in linewith biological farming requirements and willbe environmentally sustainable. If funding isensured, work should start as early as mid2006.

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Slovenia’s Environment Agency has yet toapprove the construction of the country’s firstwind power plant. The old Slovenian gover-nment had green-lighted the project, in the faceof strong environmental opposition, beforebeing voted out of office in the October 2004elections. The site where the new plant ought to havebeen built is situated on a high plateau insideSne�nik Regional Park, in the vicinity of theCroatian border. It is located in a karstic area ofhigh naturalistic value. The numerous plant andanimal species and its EU significant habitatshave earned the region a nomination for theinclusion in the Natura2000 network.

By 2006 Italy’s highest cable car will be builtfrom the Passo dei Salati (2’971 metresabove sea level) with the Cresta Rossa(3’660 metres). It is part of a “ski passage-way” from Alagna (Piedmont) to Gressoney(Aosta Valley). The cable car itself will notserve skiers (it’s way too high for that) andwill be there mainly for off-piste skiers andfor “Sunday mountaineers”.Italy’s Mountain Wilderness association hasvoiced its concern about this new structurewhose economic viability is far from ensu-red - not to mention the ecological impact.The area where the new cable car will bebuilt is included in a SIC site (CommunityInterest Sites) and falls under the protectionof the Flora-Fauna-Habitat Eu Directive.

Source: Cipra ItalyMore information: Mountain wilderness Italywww.mountwild.it

Monte Rosa: Italy’s highestcable car

will affect protected site

Slovenia’s eolic plant is short-winded

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ountain Wilderness Italia

From now on Austrian law will not pre-scribe an environmental impact asses-sment (EIA) for some categories ofprojects as it did so far. The EIA will bereplaced with a simpler, faster proce-dure aimed at assessing the specificproject. On the base of this “quick anddirty” evaluation, the states’ gover-nments will be free to decide whetheror not an environmental assessment isneeded. This new procedure will notpermit environmental organizationsand public interest associations toappeal or object: only directly concer-ned municipalities will be entitled tostart legal action against such projects.

Among the projects for which an EIA isnot lawfully required anymore arerecreational parks, sports facilities, golfcourses, motor-racing tracks and testtracks.Opposition parties and environmentalorganizations view this amendment as

a serious blow to what was so far animportant legal tool for the protectionof the environment. They accuse thegoverning coalition of trying to createad hoc legislation to serve economicinterests and of pursuing politicalpatronage and favouritism.

With the new amended law controver-sial projects (e.g. the development ofnew tourist areas on the KaunertalGlacies in Tyrol) will be green-lighted.

The new law is incompatible with EUlegislation stating that all associationsof public interest must take part in pro-cedures affecting the environment. An

alliance of Austrian environmentalorganizations has filed a complaint tothe European Commission againstthe Austrian government’s decision.

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Austria to scrapenvironmetal

protection?

Impact assessment à la carte

Source: Alpmedia

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By Mark Schulman“If I ever came across a wolf, I wouldshoot it,” a Swiss hunter from theItalian-speaking canton of Ticino saidpoint-blank. “They are cold, killingmachines that threaten farmers andtheir livestock.”

It is attitudes like this which first led tothe wolf’s extinction in Switzerlandsome 100 years ago. Despite contin-ued persecution, the European wolf(Canis lupus) is showing signs of acome back as several have sneakedacross the border in recent yearsfrom Italy .

The presence of a single male wolfwas first spotted in the Swiss cantonof Valais in 1995 (and reportedlykilled in 1996). Since then there havebeen wolf traces and other sightingsin the south-eastern cantons ofGraubünden and Ticino. No breedinghas so far been recorded, but the firstfemale sighting came in July 2002along the Swiss-Italian border nearValais.

A wolf’s paradiseWildlife experts believe that there areup to six wolves in Switzerland, origi-nating from packs in the Abruzzoregion of central Italy, some 600kmaway. Because of increased wolf pro-

tection in Italy in the 1970s — result-ing in increased wolf populations(today, there are about 600 wolves inItaly) — some have been forced tolook for greener pastures. And, noth-ing is greener than the alpine slopesof Switzerland.

“We welcome this natural recovery inSwitzerland,” said Doris Calegari, alarge predator expert with WWFSwitzerland. “Wolves are one of thealpine region’s top three predators,along with the brown bear and lynx.The fact that that they have returnedis an indicator that the habitat is muchhealthier than it was in the past.”

There were once hundreds of wolvesliving throughout Switzerland, butyears of population growth, industrial-ization and forest conversion for agri-culture and logging saw their habitatencroached upon. The loss of moun-tain forests, coupled with uncontrolledhunting, also resulted is the reductionof the deer population, the wolves’main prey. With little game left in the

Alps, large carnivores turned todomesticated animals, like sheep andgoat, for their meals, often bringingthem into conflict with farmers whosaw them as a threat to their live-stock. Seen as dangerous competi-

Switzerland and the Wolf

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tors, the wolf and the lynx were exter-minated in the Alps.

Today, however, mountain forestshave recovered, and with it an abun-dance of herbivores, thanks to moreprotected areas and better land man-agement. Switzerland is now a truewolf ‘paradise’ with large populationsof roe and red deer, marmots andchamois (horned antelope). Theynever lost their taste, though, for eas-ily accessible livestock, which oftengraze without protection in the highalpine meadows.

“Wolves are opportunists,” saidJoanna Schoenenberger, WWF-Switzerland’s European AlpineProgramme Officer working on wolfissues in Ticino. “Yes, they will goafter sheep, but there is now enoughof a deer population to keep themhappy.”

Debunking the myth that wolves huntfor ‘fun’ and not only for food, a recentcamera trap showed a wolf in Ticinoreturning to a deer it killed the nightbefore.

“Mass killing by wolves is extremelyrare,” added Calegari. “Even whengoing after livestock, the loss of just afew animals is more common.

Who’s afraid of the big, bad wolf?Not everyone has welcomed thepredator’s reappearance. Sincecrossing into the Swiss Alps fromItaly, wolves have been blamed forhundreds of attacks on sheep andgoats. In spite of compensation forlosses by the government, resistanceagainst the wolf returning toSwitzerland is strong, especiallyamong sheep farmers and hunters.

According to the Swiss-based KORACarnivore Research Centre, 44 sheepwere reportedly killed in Switzerlandin 2004 by a large canine out of some250,000 grazing sheep. The numbersare significantly lower than 2000when 105 sheep were killed. From1998 to 2003, 456 sheep and goatshave been compensated as wolf kills.

However, not all livestock attacks arethe work of wolves, but by their next ofkin. The European wolf is a bit small-er and leaner than its North Americancounterpart, and can easily be con-fused with a large dog. In Ticino alonethere are about 80 goats and 200sheep killed by dogs each year.Despite the figures, farmers andhunters are still quick to blame wolvesfor their losses.

“Wolves present a problem, especial-ly as there are lots of sheep whichgraze without shepherds,” said MarcoMondada, President of the TicinoHunters Federation. “Farmers’ inter-ests should not be put at unnecessaryrisk by animals which can be sodestructive. They must be managed.”

Although the wolf is legally protectedunder Swiss law, as well as under the1979 Bern Convention on the

Conservation of European Wildlifeand Natural Habitats, farmers andhunters have in a number ofinstances won the support of localgovernment to go after the few exist-ing wolves.

Regulations were introduced in 2001permitting the shooting of any wolfbelieved to have killed at least 50sheep over a four-month period, or 25in a single month. The minimum has

now been lowered to 35 sheep over afour-month time frame, and may con-tinue to be lowered if wolf attacks con-tinue. But the law is not totally on theside of wolf hunting. WWF recentlywon the right from the Swiss FederalSupreme Court to oppose decisionsmade by cantonal authorities in Valaisto shoot a female wolf. WWF is nowappealing the Valais cantonal court tooverturn the decision.

Wolf depredation may occur at anytime during the year, but most attackstend to take place in July and Augustwhen sheep are left unattended forlong periods of time high up on thealpine pastures. Some pastures can belocated at more than 2,500m andspread out over several square kilome-ters. Last summer, Giacomo Cominelli,a shepherd of 40 years, saw his largeflock of sheep attacked five times. Overten sheep, including lambs, were killed,and many more injured.

“It’s a terrible thing to lose one’s sheep,not just from a financial point of view,but emotional as well,” Cominelli said.“If I wasn’t a shepherd I probably wouldbe for the wolf, but the sheep are mylivelihood and I need to protect themthe best I can. Killing a wolf wouldsolve a lot of problems, but I think Iwould have a dilemma killing it myself.”

Send in the dogsFortunately, Cominelli has not beenquick to take up arms like some of hiscolleagues, and has been open to sev-eral alternatives supported by WWFand local government, including theuse of specially-trained livestock guarddogs.

“The use of guard dogs is somethingshepherds haven’t used in generationsin Switzerland,” said Alberto Stern, aveterinarian outside of Bellinzona whoraises Great Pyreneans, a large dogE

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breed suitable for livestock protection.Maremmano-Abruzzeses are also beingused.

“These guard dogs are the best possibil-ity of reducing wolf attacks. They workbecause they become attached to thesheep starting at birth and instinctivelydefend their herd.”

Although not 100 per cent foolproof,

there is evidence that they have reducedlivestock loss in some areas, not justagainst wolves, but also against fox andraven, who also prey on small lambs.According to Stern, there are about 70-80 dogs in Switzerland being used byshepherds for this purpose.

Trying to diffuse the growing human-wildlife conflict, WWF’s European AlpineProgramme initiated a livestock guarddog project to help those being affectedby the wolf attacks.

“When we saw the problems farmerswere having with their sheep, we decid-ed to take measures to help protectthem,” Schoenenberger said. “Weencouraged farmers open to the idea tobuy and train dogs against potential wolfattacks. We are now offering advice onhow to choose the right animals for pro-tection.”

For those not comfortable with dogs,donkeys have also been trained as theyare larger than wolves and can be equal-ly aggressive when confronted by athreat. WWF has also helped farmersput up fences as another defense sys-tem against predators, and is takinggroups — school kids and adults alike —out to ‘wolf country’ to meet with farmersto improve understanding between ruraland city folk.

Last year, WWF volunteers helped

Ottavio Cotti-Cottini construct an elec-tric fence to guard his herd of alpinegoats. Earlier that year, and the yearbefore, Cottini lost nine of his goats inseparate wolf attacks.

“I think more and more farmers are real-izing that there are other ways to protecttheir livestock without having to shootwolves,” Schoenenberger added. “Thisis very encouraging.”

Wolf recovery in Switzerland is at a veryearly stage and its future by no meanssecure. But, the reality of the situation is

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that more wolves are expected to cross theborder in the years to come. Its permanentresidency status will depend, however, onhow well all sides involved in the issue cancome to a common understanding aboutthe wolf’s place in the Alps.

“If you think about it, the whole area of theAlps is former wolf territory. It is a fact thatthey lived here long before we did,”Schoenenberger said. “Their return wouldbe an important contribution to enrichingSwitzerland’s biodiversity”

Mark Schulman’s unabridged version ot this story can befound at www.panda.org(alps

Wrapping up the problem

The Andermatt “solution”For more than 40 years,Gemsstock 2’961 m above sealevel) has been the startingpoint for fascinating ski runsacross the Gurtschen glacier,near the Swiss Alpine resort ofAndermatt. Those days seemto have gone forever: in the last15 years the mighty glacier hasreceded and has sunk about 20metres from the top station. Inwinter, fresh snow fall can beprepared and groomed so as tomake up for the sunken glacier.Not so in the summer.So the Andermatt authoritiescame up with the idea of cove-ring up the glacier during thesummer months, to protect itfrom the rays of the unrelentingsun. The idea - “only an experi-ment” in the words of theAndermatt municipality - is toprevent the glacier from meltingin summer by wrapping a por-tion of it in a PVC-foil. The inte-W

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rested surface amounts to 2’500 sq-metres. The PVC-foils (there will be twodifferent protection layers) will be remo-ved in autumn 2005. The protectionfoils were installed in early May, makingmore noise around Europe and theAlps, than one would have thought. Alittle controversy arose as environmen-tal organizations pointed out that the“Andermatt solution” is in fact not asolution at all.

See full story on page 2

Tough days for the Tagliamento

Killing the big riverTime is running out for the Tagliamento. The majestic river in the north-easternItalian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia is the last large natural river in the Alpine arc.As such it enjoys (or so it should) special protection. Nonetheless the regionalgovernment of Friuli has approved ad hoc legislation to allow the construction ofthree large flood retention basins, the first of which might be given a green light inthe month of May 2005.WWF has presented a series of alternatives to deal with the flood problem. Butthese were not considered by the regional and national governments. The prospec-ted retention basins would be built inside a special interest area. WWF Italy hasstarted legal action to try and stop what it sees as another, deadly attack on one ofthe last remaining natural water giants of the Alps.

The breath-taking scenery of the Tagliamento River is in great danger.

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A blueprint for conservation

Content management please contact:Sergio Savoia,Piazzale Stazione 35CH-6500 BellinzonaSwitzerlandsergio.savoia@wwf.ch+41 (0)91 820.60.82S

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What happens in the Alps in thecoming months

May22 International Day for

Biodiversity

26-29 River Lech excursion

June5 World Environment Day3-5 Draft trip down the Lech

river, Austria

July17 The Big Jump, jumping

into Europe’s rivers to testify water quality. All over Europe

28-29 Excursion on Natura 2000sites, Vorarlberg

Alpine Calendar

G e t i n t o u c h w i t h t h eA l p i n e P r o g r a m m e

You can learn about the Alps, theirbiodiversity and WWF’s work toprotect and enhance it on our brandnew Alpine web site can be foundat www.panda.org/alps.All sorts of Alpine-related news, in-depth analyses, specialised publica-tions as well as a list of threats andopportunities regarding the Alps.Just a click away atwww.panda.org/alps

A l p s o n l i n e

The WWF European Alpine Programmehas published the Ecoregion ConservationPlan for the Alps. The alpine arc is part ofthe so-called Global 200, the regions of theworld most important for their biodiversityfeatures. In order to implement our work onthe conservation of biodiversity, theEcoregion Conservation Plan is both a firstimportant step and a very necessary blue-print.If you’re interested and want to know moreabout it you can download it from our web-sitewww.panda.org/alps

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The sun sets on Lake Maggiore, by the village of Vira-Gambarogno(Switzerland)