Consequence of the wolf recovery in the Swiss Alps

Jean-Marc Landry, Chemin-Dessus, 1927 Chemin (VS), Switzerland

The first wolves (Canis lupus) which appeared in the Swiss Alps since 1994 are sharing the same habitats as human interests, namely for hunting, tourism and animal husbandry. Sheep farming has led to densities of herbivores higher than those reached by wild species. Despite the abundance of game near areas of summer pasture, the losses of sheep which are rarely guarded are likely to be high, leading humans to be at strife with wolves. To decrease the conflict, different prevention systems usable on an alpine meadow are tested. Livestock guard dogs seems to be one of the few non-lethal methods available for protection of open-range livestock. However, the presence of a shepherd is often required to increase the effectiveness of the dogs, but also to avoid conflicts with tourists and hunters. As hiring of shepherds is no longer economically viable for sheep owners, the maintenance of sheep farming will depend greatly on policy issues. The wolf recovery is in keeping with a difficult economical context of the livestock farming and therefore highlighted conflicts between humans themselves.