Species in the Alps region
A bearded vulture fledgling (Gypaetus barbatus) before being released into the Swiss alps. Swiss National Park, Graub�nden, Switzerland.
Biodiversity in the Alps
Due to the mosaic of different habitats caused by marked differences in altitude, micro-climate and soil, the Alps are one of the regions with the richest flora and fauna in Europe, second only to the Mediterranean region. The Alps host 13000 plant and about 30000 animal species.
Flora
From the 4500 plant species in the Alps about 8% are endemic, meaning that they occur only in the Alps and nowhere else in the world.
Above the forest line plants show different forms of adaptation to the harsh environmental conditions. They are for example small and grow in flat cushions, rosettes or carpets to protect themselves from the wind and to resist the pressure of heavy snow layers. Others have large root structures and ample underground organs that function as water and nutrients storage systems and as anchorage in the soil. The Net-Leaved Willow (Salix reticulata), the smallest tree in the world, is barely 10 cm tall but has roots several meters long.
The forests below the timberline are considered relatively natural today and serve as important refuges for rare species as well as corridor areas for many others (e.g., large herbivores or large carnivores).
Above the forest line plants show different forms of adaptation to the harsh environmental conditions. They are for example small and grow in flat cushions, rosettes or carpets to protect themselves from the wind and to resist the pressure of heavy snow layers. Others have large root structures and ample underground organs that function as water and nutrients storage systems and as anchorage in the soil. The Net-Leaved Willow (Salix reticulata), the smallest tree in the world, is barely 10 cm tall but has roots several meters long.
The forests below the timberline are considered relatively natural today and serve as important refuges for rare species as well as corridor areas for many others (e.g., large herbivores or large carnivores).
Fauna
The exact number of animal species in the Alps is unknown, though estimates place that number at about 30 000.
The exact number of animal species in the Alps is unknown, though estimates place that number at about 30 000.
Though all typical alpine mammals (e.g. marmot, ibex, mountain hare or snow vole) exist in the Alps, many of their populations have been reduced in size or have been divided into small subpopulations. The ibex was once on the brink of extinction but was reintroduced to Switzerland from Italy in the 19th century and the population is now considered secure.
With increasing altitude, living conditions are harsher and in the alpine belt a lot of species, especially birds and mammals altogether disappear. The remaining species have shown different forms of adaptation to the difficult climatic conditions. The Alpine salamander, for example, does not lay eggs like most other reptiles but gives birth to fully developed young. Birds and mammals have thicker feathers or pelts and their feet or paws are perfectly adapted for treading on snowy surfaces. The mountain hare the hermelin and the Ptarmigan (Lagopus mutus) change their brown coats to white in winter. Many animals hibernate during the coldest months of the year while others like the alpine chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) and rock partridge (Alectoris graeca) migrate over more or less long distances or descend to lower altitudes. The ibex, instead, climbs to very steep slopes where the snow slides off and some food can still be found in winter.
The convergence of fish fauna from distant sea regions up alpine rivers and a highly specialized fish fauna in small lakes and streams make freshwater habitats in the Alps unique.
Brown Bear
The comeback of large carnivores
During the 18th and 19th centuries, deforestation, the ensuing disappearance of natural prey (large herbivores) and the strong increase of farming and livestock aggravated the conflicts between large carnivores and humans. Seen as dangerous competitors the lynx and the wolf were exterminated in the Alps. The brown bear was almost hunted to extinction. Today mountain forests have recovered. Large herbivores came back spontaneously or were reintroduced to some areas. As a result of the 1970s programmes for the re-introduction of the lynx, the species is once-again present in all Alpine countries.
However, the populations are not yet secured. Wolves spread back into the Italian and French Alps from a surviving population in the Abruzzi region of
Italy. Brown bears from the Balkans are returning to the Austrian and Swiss Alps and were re-introduced into the Italian Alps to back up a small autochthonous population.
The return of large predators to our densely populated region represents a big challenge. The Alps are densely populated, and wherever large carnivores get close to human settlements, harsh disputes ensue. In particular, livestock damage caused by wolves
has recently sparked controversy. Still, the WWF is convinced that cohabitation between humans and large carnivores is possible.
