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Conservation of the lynx Lynx lynx in the Swiss Jura Mountains

Article in Wildlife Biology · January 2007

DOI: 10.2981/0909-6396(2007)13[340:COTLLL]2.0.CO;2

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ORIGINAL ARTICLES

Conservation of the lynx Lynx lynx in the Swiss Jura Mountains

Urs Breitenmoser, Christine Breitenmoser-Würsten, Simon Capt, Anja Molinari-Jobin, Paolo Molinari &
Fridolin Zimmermann

Breitenmoser, U., Breitenmoser-Würsten, C., Capt, S., Molinari-Jobin,

A., Molinari, P. & Zimmermann, F. 2007: Conservation of the lynx Lynx
lynx in the Swiss Jura Mountains. - Wildl. Biol. 13: 340-355.

Lynx Lynx lynx returned to a semi-natural, human dominated landscape

in the Jura Mountains in France and Switzerland after reintroductions in
the early 1970s. Controversy has resulted from lynx attacking sheep and
preying on game species such as roe deer Capreolus capreolus and chamois
Rupicapra rupicapra. We review the history of the lynx, the transition of
the landscape and fauna in the Jura Mountains, and recent findings from
long-term field studies on the species. Possible threats to the survival of
the population are assessed. The ecological conditions for the existence of
the lynx in the Jura Mountains have improved since the species was
eradicated in the 19th century. Both habitat and prey base are suitable
for maintaining the population. Immediate threats include traffic acci-
dents and illegal killings. Long-term threats include small population size
and genetic impoverishment as a result of the post-reintroduction bottle-
neck. We recommend conservation and management that involve local
people and cooperation at national and international scales. Fragmenta-
tion of the habitat and the management system should be avoided, and
landscape linkages from the Jura Mountains to adjacent mountain ranges
should be established to promote a lynx metapopulation.

Key words: anthropogenic threats, conservation, history, Jura Mountains,

Lynx lynx

Urs Breitenmoser, Institute of Veterinary Virology, University of

Berne, Länggass-Strasse 121, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland - e-mail: urs.
[email protected]
Christine Breitenmoser-Würsten, Simon Capt, Anja Molinari-Jobin, Paolo
Molinari & Fridolin Zimmermann, KORA, Thunstrasse 31, CH-3074
Muri b. Bern, Switzerland - e-mail addresses: [email protected]
(Christine Breitenmoser-Würsten); [email protected] (Simon Capt);
[email protected] (Anja Molinari-Jobin); [email protected] (Paolo
Molinari); [email protected] (Fridolin Zimmermann)

Corresponding author:Urs Breitenmoser

Received 12 August 2004, accepted 2 June 2006

Associate Editor: Henrik Andrén

340 E WILDLIFE BIOLOGY ? 13:4 (2007)

The preservation of large carnivores in human- in the Swiss Jura Mountains during 1988-1998, and
dominated landscapes will be one of the big chal- in the French part during 1995-1998, resulting in
lenges in nature conservation in the 21st century. a number of theses and publications on lynx land
On one hand, large carnivore populations need tenure, demography, social organisation (Kac-
much space, usually considerably more than what zensky 1991, Dötterer 1992, Breitenmoser et al.
protected areas offer, and must therefore be al- 1993), behaviour and habitat use (Bernhart 1990,
lowed to expand into landscapes used by humans, Weigl 1993, Wölfl 1993, Wölfl & Wölfl 1996, Mo-
where, on the other hand, they are not always linari & Jobin 2001, Zimmermann & Breitenmoser
welcome. Suitable terrestrial carnivore habitat in 2001), and predation on wildlife (Liberek 1992, Jo-
the cultivated landscape is fragmented by wide- bin et al. 2000, Molinari-Jobin et al. 2002) and live-
spread anthropogenic infrastructure. Predation stock (Capt et al. 1993, Vandel & Stahl 1998a, Stahl
on wild and domestic animals brings carnivores et al. 2001a,b).
into direct conflict with human hunters and live- A comprehensive review of ecology, population
stock breeders. Even where large carnivores enjoy status and conservation needs of lynx in the Jura
legal protection, as in most European countries, Mountains is lacking. In this paper, we compile
traffic accidents and retaliation killings are often results from monitoring and field studies includ-
the two prominent causes of mortality (wolf Canis ing development and status of the population
lupus: Boitani 2000; brown bear Ursus arctos: (Capt 2007), spatial behaviour (Breitenmoser-
Swenson et al. 2000; Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx: Würsten et al. 2007b), demography (Breitenmo-
Breitenmoser et al. 2000). Large carnivores act ser-Würsten et al. 2007a), predation aspects (Mo-
as umbrella or flagship species (Simberloff linari-Jobin et al. 2007), and the suitability of the
1998), and their presence (or the effort needed Jura Mountains as lynx habitat (Zimmermann &
to maintain their presence) is an indicator not Breitenmoser 2007). These papers form the scien-
only of the quality of the environment (habitat tific framework for the 'technocratic' conservation
and prey base), but also of human tolerance. of the lynx in the Jura Mountains. However, a 'ho-
The conservation of a large carnivore in a cultural listic' conservation strategy considering the socio-
landscape is complex, involving not only ecologi- cultural, economic and political context implies
cal knowledge, but also the understanding of more than ecological knowledge. In this first pa-
human dimensions and the implementation of per of the series, we provide some background
appropriate legislation, management and moni- information on the Jura Mountains and its eco-
toring. logical and cultural history and review the present
The restoration and conservation of the Eur- knowledge under the aspect of potential threats
asian lynx in the Jura Mountains of Switzerland and recommendations for a comprehensive con-
and France is a case study of returning a large servation strategy. We regard the present status,
predator to a modern cultivated landscape. The not only of the lynx population, but also of its
lynx was reintroduced into the Jura Mountains in living space, the result of an evolving situation.
the first half of the 1970s before expanding over Consequently, the assessment of the past and the
the southwestern part of the mountain range present allows us to anticipate future challenges
(Breitenmoser & Baettig 1992, Breitenmoser et and opportunities. Hence, we ask the following
al. 1998, Capt 2007). The releases were done in questions:
secret, and there was no follow-up programme.
The history of the scientific survey of the Jura
lynx population started in the late 1980s. Retro- 1) What are the contemporary ecological and an-
spective collection of data in France and Switzer- thropogenic conditions for the existence of the
land began in 1986 (Herrenschmidt & Leger 1987a, lynx in the Jura Mountains?
Breitenmoser&Baettig1992).Since then, monitoring 2) How did these conditions change since the
systems have been established in both countries eradication of the lynx in the 18th and 19th
(Vandel & Stahl 1998b, Vandel 2001, Capt et al. centuries?
1998), but comprehensive status reports were pub- 3) What are the potential or identified threats to
lished only for the French part (Herrenschmidt & the population, the limits of human tolerance,
Leger 1987b, Vandel & Stahl 1998b, Stahl & Van- and what are the apparent needs for its future
del 1999). Radio-telemetry studies were conducted conservation?
E WILDLIFE BIOLOGY ? 13:4 (2007) 341
Figure 1. Jura Mountains in France and Switzerland. The shape of the range is indicated by the 500 m elevation isoclines. The centre of
the field work was the Jura Mountains of the canton of Vaud (VD) and the neighbouring areas of the canton of Neuchâtel (NE) and the
departments of Ain (01) and Jura (39). The study area in which radio-telemetry was performed is indicated by the two corners (position
of the southwestern corner is 46u06'N/5u15'E and the position of the northeastern corner is 47u25'N/7u44'E). Labels and abbreviations
of French departments and Swiss cantons are given in Table 1.

Material and methods um from the ancient Tethys Sea. The formation of
the parallel mountain chains of the Jura took place
Study area during the late phase of the formation of the Alps,
The Jura Mountains stretch from the junction of in the late Tertiary period (Miocene to Pliocene, 13-
the rivers Aare and Rhine in the northeast to the 5 million years BP). The result of the folding pro-
junction of the Guiers with the Rhone River in the cess was a mountainous karst landscape in the
southwest (Fig. 1). It is situated between the pla- south, table mountains in the northeast, and high
teau of the Haute-Saône in France in the north plateaus in the northwest (see Blant 2001 for de-
and the Swiss Plateau in the south. The high ridges tails). Although the mountain chain, which is ex-
of this secondary mountain chain are 1,200- posed to western winds from the Atlantic ocean,
1,500 m a.s.l., the highest peak is the Crêt de la experience 1,300-2,000 mm precipitation annually
Neige at 1,718 m a.s.l. The rock is Mesozoic calci- (Blant 2001), water is scarce because the karst re-
342 E WILDLIFE BIOLOGY ? 13:4 (2007)
gion supports surface waters only along valley bot- using CORINE land use data (European Topic
toms. Centre on Land Cover, Environment Satellite Data
The Jura Mountains (Blant 2001) are more than Centre, Kiruna, Sweden) for the entire Jura Moun-
what a traveller sees along the border between tains and GEOSTAT data (Federal Office of Sta-
France and Switzerland. For lynx, we defined the tistics, data release 1992) for the Swiss part. As
outlines of the Jura Mountains according to geo- a consequence of differences in the resolution (250
graphic and habitat features, such as lakes and riv- 3 250 m grid for the CORINE, and 100 3 100 m
ers as natural boundaries, or the sharp transition for the GEOSTAT data), the geographic projec-
from the wooded slopes to the open agricultural tion, and the classification of original categories,
plateau at the foothills in Switzerland. Where an the results varied according to the data source. As
absence of natural barriers occurs (i.e. in the north- a rule, we computed areas from vector rather than
western periphery) we use the 500 m contour line grid data and used the highest available resolution.
(see Fig. 1) separating the mountain forests from
the open agricultural landscape of the plains. Close
to the foothills of the Jura Mountains, we find the Ecological and anthropogenic conditions for
large cities of Lyon, Geneva, Lausanne, Neuchâtel, the existence of the lynx in the Jura
Basel and Besançon. This area includes, completely Mountains
or in part, 10 administrative units, three French
departments and seven Swiss cantons (abbrevia- Habitat elements
tions are given in Table 1). The focus area for the The Jura Mountains stretch over 300 km from the
field work summarised in this paper were the Jura southwest to the northeast, 30-60 km from the
Mountains in the canton of Vaud (VD), but dis- southeast to the northwest, and cover almost
persing lynx roamed over much of the mountains 14,000 km2 (see Fig. 1 and Table 1). Forest is the
(see Fig. 1). most prominent landscape feature of the Jura
Mountains and a natural timberline is lacking. Half
Data sources and analyses of the entire surface is covered by forest, and none
Estimation of (relative) areas and population den- of the 10 administrative units listed in Table 1 has
sity for the administrative units (see Table 1) were , 40% woodland cover. Forest types range from
determined with the Geographic Information Sys- mixed deciduous forest with relict Mediterranean
tem (GIS) Arc-View (ESRI, Redlands CA, USA), elements on the foothills of the south slopes to the

Table 1. Characteristics of the cultivated landscape of the French departments and Swiss cantons comprising the Jura Mountains.
Data sources are CORINE land use data (G250) for France and the entire Jura Mountains, and GEOSTAT data (G100) for Switzer-
land. Population density data are not available from the CORINE data set, but the population density (inhabitants/km2) computed
from the G100 data set is highly correlated (r2 5 0.949, P , 0.001) with the relative area of settlements from the G250 for the Swiss
cantons, and is a good indicator for the human presence.

Relative (%) area of

-----------------------------------------------------------
Area inside the Jura Population Settlements
------------------------------ -------------------------
Unit Sign Language Km2 % of unit density G250a G100 Forest Pastures
French departments 8923 65.2 - 2.4 - 50.6 27.8
Ain 01 F 2483 43.0 - 4.0 - 59.8 13.0
Jura 39 F 3068 60.4 - 1.7 - 54.6 20.7
Doubs 25 F 3372 64.5 - 1.9 - 41.3 37.5
--------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------- ------------- --------------- -------------------
Swiss cantons 4768 34.8 188 4.1 5.9 45.4 12.6
Vaud VD F 1054 33.0 60 0.9 3.2 49.4 14.0
Neuchâtel NE F 690 100.0b 213 3.4 5.6 44.0 16.5
Jura JU F 765 92.7 80 1.5 3.9 44.2 15.9
Berne BE F/G 679 11.3 199 3.5 5.6 48.4 17.6
Solothurn SO G 615 78.6 237 5.6 7.7 47.5 9.9
Basel-Landschaft BL G 518 100.0 491 13.3 12.2 42.0 5.8
Aargau AG G 447 23.4 198 5.7 7.6 41.0 3.1
--------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------- ------------- --------------- -------------------
Jura Mountains 13691 - 3.0 - 49.3 21.8
a
Due to the large grid size, the G250 overestimates high and underestimates low values, but the relative ranking of the units is correct.
b
Only lake of Neuchâtel outside the Jura Mountains.

E WILDLIFE BIOLOGY ? 13:4 (2007) 343

boreal coniferous forest on the ridges and in the curred in the French department of Ain (01 in
cold depressions on the mountain plateaus. Char- Fig. 1), fewer in the department of Jura (39), and
acteristic tree species are oaks Quercus sp. at the considerably fewer in the Swiss part, primarily the
climatically favourable bases of the hills, beech Fa- canton of Jura (JU). In France, a total of 1,132
gus sylvatica and other deciduous trees on the attacks (with an average of 1.6 sheep killed or
slopes, and fir Abies alba on the ridges and the high wounded in an attack) were recorded during
plateaus. Spruce Picea abies was historically re- 1984-1998, with a peak of 188 attacks in 1989 (Stahl
stricted to a few extreme sites, but is widespread et al. 2001a). On the Swiss side, 153 sheep were
and locally dominant today. Permanent pastures identified as lynx kills during 1981-2001, with a peak
used for grazing cattle in summer cover 22% of of 43 in 2001 (KORA, unpubl. data). The higher
the Jura Mountains (see Table 1). A harsh climate parts of the Jura Mountains were not affected by
and infertile soils limit high elevation land use to lynx attacks on livestock. Sheep flocks are rare, and
forestry and pastoralism (Wachter 1995). All other the pastures are predominantly used by cattle dur-
arable land (e.g. crops, meadows, vineyards and ing summer. Although livestock is of no importance
orchards) make up from 10% (NE) to 25% (AG) for the sustenance of the lynx population, the killing
of the administrative units, and settlements cover of sheep by lynx affects human tolerance (Molinari-
3% (range: 1.7-12.2%) of the mountain range (see Jobin et al. 2007), and has repeatedly led to legal
Table 1). removal of problem animals (Stahl et al. 2001b,
Angst et al. 2002) and to illegal retaliation killings
Wild prey (Ceza et al. 2001).
The main prey of the lynx in the Jura Mountains is
the roe deer Capreolus capreolus. Roe deer made up Human population, political and cultural units
69% of all kills found, followed by the chamois The percentage of built-up area is an indicator of
Rupicapra rupicapra (22%), red fox Vulpes vulpes human population density, which is considerably
and brown hare Lepus europaeus (Jobin et al. high. In Switzerland, it ranges from 60 inhabi-
2000, Molinari-Jobin et al. 2007). The roe deer is tants/km2 (Jura VD) up to 491 inhabitants/km2
abundant throughout the Jura Mountains. Cham- (BL). Roughly extrapolated over the French part
ois frequent the highest chain of the mountain range from the relative area of settlements (G250 in Ta-
(mainly the Swiss part) and exhibits a clustered dis- ble 1), the human density over the entire Jura
tribution (e.g. along the rocky slopes of ravines). Mountains is 130-140 inhabitants/km2. It is an im-
Reliable and comparable estimates of the popula- portant characteristic that is relevant to the conser-
tion densities are lacking for both species. Molinari- vation of the lynx because much of the natural land-
Jobin et al. (2002) have estimated a density of 6-9 scape adjoins areas with high human population
roe deer/km2 and of 1-2 chamois/km2 for the study densities. Current pattern of human settlement in
area in the Jura VD. This is probably a medium to an otherwise remote and rural area reflects the early
low density compared to other roe deer habitat importance of local industry, first the small-scale
of the mountain range, but an above-average den- production of lime, iron and glass, fuelled by char-
sity of chamois for the entire Jura Mountains. coal, and later the watch and ancillary industry
Although potential prey species are diverse (see re- (Blant 2001, Bergier 1990).
view in Molinari-Jobin et al. 2007), other species are The Jura Mountains are easily identified on an
only occasionally killed and are not a significant aerial photo, but have never been a cultural or po-
part of the lynx diet. The abundance of the main litical unit. The international border separates the
prey does not appear to be limiting in the Jura Moun- three French departments from the seven Swiss can-
tains. tons (see Fig. 1). As a consequence of the centralis-
tic French system, the three French administrative
Depredation units have a similar political structure, but the Ain
Domestic prey in the Jura Mountains were usually (01) department belongs to the region Rhône-
sheep Ovis aries (Vandel & Stahl 1998a, Angst et al. Alpes, whereas the departments Jura (39) and
2000, Stahl et al. 2001a, Molinari-Jobin et al. 2007). Doubs (25) are part of the region Franche-Compté.
Sheep are mainly available in the lower parts of the Within both regions (and of course within France as
Jura Mountains along the northern rim, where they a whole), the Jura Mountains are an economic
are kept in fenced parks. Most of the attacks oc- fringe area. This is also true for the Swiss cantons
344 E WILDLIFE BIOLOGY ? 13:4 (2007)
of Vaud, Bern and Aargau (VD, BE and AG in foothill oak forests have been used to produce char-
Fig. 1), where the Jura region is only a small part coal for smelting, and water-powered industries
of the canton. The other four cantons lie entirely have existed on the rivers in the narrow gorges since
(NE, JU and BL) or mostly (SO) within the Jura the Middle Ages.
Mountains. The lack of unity has not only political, Early human activities promoted species diversi-
but also cultural foundations: almost 90% of the ty through the creation of new cultural habitats
Jura Mountains belong to the French-speaking ar- with plants and animals from open (not forested)
ea, but the most populated parts (the cantons of SO, ecosystems; the maximum diversity in Europe was
BL and AG) belong to the German-speaking area probably reached around 1800 (Blant 2001). Re-
(see Table 1). gardless, human exploitation of the ecosystem
started much earlier. The general pattern was that
Hunting system and protected areas overexploitation of forests and silvopastoral live-
The hunting system in the French Jura Mountains stock husbandry, along with unrestricted hunting,
is community-based; local residents hunt within destroyed the habitat and the prey base of large
the limits of their municipality, supervised by re- carnivores. The predators, still present after the de-
gional wildlife officers of the Office National de struction of wild ungulate populations, were then
la Chasse et de la Faune Sauvage (ONCFS). The forced to prey on livestock. This, in turn, boosted
French-speaking Swiss cantons of VD, NE, JU their persecution and extinction. There is no quan-
and BE use a licence hunting system (a hunter gets titative data available for the Jura Mountains, but
a limited quota of game for the entire area of the local descriptions suggest that this pattern of nature
canton within a restricted period) controlled by destruction was the same elsewhere, although it
state game wardens. The Germanic cantons of happened some 100 years earlier than in the Alps
SO, BL and AG have a lease-based system with (Breitenmoser 1998).
private hunting parties managing wildlife in an en-
closed area. Destruction of forest
Blant (2001) presented an extensive overview on N.E. Tscharner, sheriff of the Lower Aargau (the
protected sites in the Jura Mountains. There are 41 Jura part of today’s canton of Aargau) reported in
nature reserves with limited access, but they are all the year 1768 that the forests of his district could no
very small. Two regional parks exist, and two more longer satisfy local demands for timber and fire-
have been designed. They are important for the wood (Wullschleger 1974). Tscharner identified
maintenance of the regional biodiversity and pro- several reasons for the destruction of the woods:
vide good (protected) habitat and healthy prey po- lack of silvicultural knowledge, short rotations of
pulations for the lynx, but are open for regulated logging, larceny as a result of general poverty, and
pastoralism, limited timber exploitation, hunting the neglect to protect tree regeneration from cattle
and recreation. Considering the huge space re- (silvopastoralism was usual). Other reasons for
quired by a viable lynx population, they are rather heavy 18th and 19th century logging were the in-
insignificant at the population level. creasing need for firewood and charcoal (Rieben
1957), the floating of logs from the Jura Mountains
to the shipyards at the mouth of the Rhone river,
History of the landscape and the large and the need of the growing cities for firewood (Ber-
mammal fauna of the Jura Mountains gier 1990). The Russian writer Dostojewski wrote in
1868 that there was still enough forest in the moun-
The modern vegetation of the Jura Mountains de- tains, but because the Swiss ‘‘live like the savages’’,
veloped at the end of the last ice age some there ‘‘will be no forest left within 25 years’’ (Hau-
12,000 years ago. Under the climatic influence of ser 1974). Landolt (1863) estimated the woodland
moisture from the Atlantic Ocean, forests became of the cantons of Solothurn, Basel-Landschaft and
the dominant type of vegetation (the name 'Jura' is Neuchâtel to be 30, 35 and 25% of the total area,
derived from the Celtic term for forest; Blant 2001.) which is considerably less than today (see Table 1).
This process was never free from human influence. Landolt (1863) stressed the disastrous status of the
Humans have exploited the Jura Mountains first as forest in the Alps, observing that ‘‘the Jura makes
hunter-gatherers, then as nomadic herders and fi- no exception, as the densely settled high valleys
nally as sedentary and semi-nomadic farmers. The would be in a critical situation if nature would not
E WILDLIFE BIOLOGY ? 13:4 (2007) 345
 Figure 2. Roe deer hunting bag of the can-
tons of Basel-Landschaft (BL), Solothurn
(SO, Jura part only) and Neuchâtel (NE)
from 1933 (beginning of the Swiss hunting
statistics) till 2000. Only these three admin-
istrative units within the Jura Mountains
provide long-term bag statistics. The curves
illustrate the recolonisation of the Jura
Mountains starting from the north (BL)
and the lasting increase of the roe deer pop-
ulation until the 1980s. The vertical broken
line marks the start of the reintroduction of
the lynx in the year 1974 in NE.

have richly endowed them with moors’’ (peat was The progression of the roe deer south along the Jura
used for fuel). Although banned by federal law in Mountains is reflected in hunting success (Fig. 2).
the early 20th century, forest grazing remained When the federal statistics started in 1933, there was
widespread in the Jura Mountains. Rieben (1957) already a considerable roe deer harvest in the can-
ultimately demanded that the woodlands in the ton of Basel-Landschaft (BL) and it was increasing
Swiss Jura Mountains be fenced off to allow in Solothurn (SO). Harvest began in Neuchâtel
natural forest regeneration and erosion control. (NE), the southern most of the three cantons (see
No data on the regeneration of woodland are read- Fig. 1), after 1940.
ily available for the Jura Mountains. We can, how- The chamois, the most important alternative
ever, assume that the regeneration of the forest area prey for lynx, existed in the Jura Mountains at least
was similar to the Swiss average, which has been up to the Middle Ages. Salzmann (1975) and Blant
estimated to be almost 80% since the middle of (2001) question whether it was ever completely ab-
the 19th century (Breitenmoser & Breitenmoser- sent, but there was clearly no vital population. The
Würsten 2001). species recolonised the Jura Mountains in the first
half of the 20th century, as a result of spontaneous
Decline and recovery of wild ungulates immigrations from the Alps and reintroductions at
Wild ungulates also declined during the 18th and several places along the mountain chain. The red
19th centuries. Although there is a complete lack of deer Cervus elaphus was eradicated in the Jura
quantitative information, historians (summarised Mountains during the 19th century (Blant 2001),
by Baumann 1949, Schmidt 1976 and Kurt 1977) but returned to the southern part of the range after
agree that in the 19th century, wild ungulates were releases in France and Switzerland in the 1970s and
virtually extinct in Switzerland, with the exception 1980s. The brown hare Lepus europaeus, the only
of some small chamois populations in the Alps. Roe lagomorph species widespread in the mountain
deer, the main prey of lynx, were believed to have range, declined during the second half of the 20th
disappeared form Switzerland by the beginning of century (Blant 2001). The decline was so dramatic
the 19th century. Some roe deer may have survived that hunting was discontinued in most parts of the
in the northern part of the Jura Mountains or may Swiss Jura Mountains (Blant 2001).
have occasionally immigrated from neighbouring
Germany and France (Baumann 1949). Schmidt Eradication of large carnivores and reintroduction
(1976) mentioned an increasing number of observa- of lynx
tions reported in hunters’ magazines after 1880. The indigenous large carnivores of the Jurassic arc
From the bridgehead along the Rhine River east all disappeared in the middle of the 19th century
of Basel, the roe deer recolonised the Jura Moun- (Blant 2001). Eiberle (1972) believed that both
tains as far south as Geneva till 1930 (Kurt 1977). brown bear and wolf resisted eradication in the Jura
346 E WILDLIFE BIOLOGY ? 13:4 (2007)
Mountains longer than the lynx. Schauenberg prerequisites important for the existence of lynx
(1969), Eiberle (1972) and Herrenschmidt & Leger have changed during the 20th century. First, forests
(1987a) reviewed the historic record of lynx for the have recovered and expanded throughout the Jura
Jura Mountains. The last evidence reported on ei- Mountains. This was also a consequence of the ex-
ther side of the national border included a lynx odus of people. Both the French and the Swiss Jura
killed in 1830 near Lignerolle (VD, Switzerland) Mountains have experienced a net loss in the hu-
and another lynx killed near Pontarlier (39, man population during the past century. Second,
France). A capture in 1885 at the rim of the French roe deer and chamois have recovered throughout
Jura Mountains is doubtful (Schauenberg 1969). the mountain range to a level likely exceeding his-
The sites of the last observations are in the south- toric abundance. Third, as a result of increasing
central part of the mountain chain, the most elevat- conservation awareness, human attitudes towards
ed and remote part. In the north of the Jura Moun- large carnivores has changed since the 1950s (Roth
tains, the lynx disappeared much earlier. According 1986). The lynx was granted legal protection by the
to Eiberle (1972), direct persecution was the main national legislation in Switzerland in 1962 (Breiten-
reason for its annihilation. However, the historic moser et al. 1998), and in France in 1977 (Stahl &
record is misleading because it consists almost ex- Vandel 1998).
clusively of records of shootings and bounties paid.
The massive alteration of the habitat and the de-
struction of the wild prey base must have stressed Conflicts and threats in a cultivated
the large carnivore populations. That brown bear landscape
and wolf (more typical victims of human persecu-
tion than the lynx) survived longer could probably Although the Jura Mountains provide better living
be explained by the lynx’s higher vulnerability to conditions for a large carnivore regarding habitat
anthropogenic alteration of habitat and prey base quality, prey availability and resident human pop-
(Breitenmoser 1997). ulation than during the times when the lynx was
Lynx were reintroduced into the Swiss Jura Moun- eradicated, the lynx did not inherit a wilderness.
tains in the 1970s. The releases and the development Human density has decreased in the mountain
of the population were described in detail by Brei- range itself, but increased greatly in its vicinity.
tenmoser & Baettig (1992), its status by Breitenmo- Modern traffic infrastructure and recreational use
ser et al. (1998) and Capt (2007). Compared to his- of the mountains gave rise to new threats, adding to
toric conditions during the extinction phase, several old conflicts that may not have disappeared entire-

Table 2. Assessment of identified and potential threats to the lynx population in the Jura Mountains, and conservation actions
recommended. Each of the six authors judged the threats independently according to the following scale: 1 5 not a risk for the lynx
population at present or in the near future; 3 5 identified cause of individual losses, but not a threat to the population on its own; 5 5
a potential risk at the population level; 2 and 4 are intermediate levels. M (Range) gives the mean and range (minimum-maximum) of
the evaluation (N 5 6). For the recommended actions see text.

M
Threat (Range) Rank Actions recommended
Resource depression
1. Habitat deterioration 1.0 (1-1) 9 None
2. Fragmentation 2.0 (1-4) 5 Fauna passages; habitat corridors
3. Prey decline 1.2 (1-2) 8 Monitoring ungulate populations; sustainable management roe deer and chamois population
------------------------------------------------- ------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anthropogenic losses
4. Population control/hunting 1.5 (1-2) 7 Monitoring lynx population; sustainable interventions; inter-regional consultation and
coordination
5. Poaching/illegal killing 4.5 (4-5) 1 Law enforcement; conflict management; preventive measures, compensation, removal
of stock raiders (depredation); translocations, legal sustainable hunting (impact game)
6. Anthropogenic accidents (traffic) 3.2 (3-4) 2 None
------------------------------------------------- ------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Natural factors/population viability
7. Disease 1.8 (1-3) 6 Surveillance; selective intervention if needed
8. Demographic viability 2.5 (2-3) 4 Monitoring of population parameters (e.g. reproduction); restocking if needed
9. Genetic viability/inbreeding 3.0 (2-5) 3 Genetic monitoring; merge populations; translocations if needed

E WILDLIFE BIOLOGY ? 13:4 (2007) 347

ly. In this section, we assess the different threats to 2002) Jura Mountains. The chamois is an impor-
the lynx population in the Jura Mountains (Ta- tant alternative prey, which is readily available in
ble 2). For some risks, we cite empirical data (e.g. the central part of the range. We judge the risk of
demographic data; see Breitenmoser-Würsten et al. a significant prey depression in the Jura Mountains
2007a) or use models (e.g. population size and hab- minor at present and in the near future (see Ta-
itat quality; see Zimmermann & Breitenmoser ble 2).
2007). For others we rely on the experience and
personal judgement of the authors. Our combined Human disturbance and anthropogenic losses
opinion regarding the importance of the threats is Humans can have a direct negative impact on lynx
summarised in Table 2. by altering lynx behaviour through forest exploita-
tion, recreation and other disturbance, accidental
Resource depression killing (e.g. traffic accidents), and deliberate killing
Habitat and prey are the two most important re- of lynx through poaching and retaliation. We have
sources a lynx needs to survive. The typical habitat not quantified the importance of disturbance, but
of the Eurasian lynx in Europe is woodland. Forests anecdotal observations during radio-tracking re-
provide cover for hunting, resting and breeding, vealed that lynx did not respond to human presence
and connectivity over enough area to sustain the or nearby activities. Some lynx became tolerant of
spatial structure of the population (Breitenmoser- our presence during fieldwork, demonstrating indi-
Würsten et al. 2007b). Specific features such as den vidual potential to adapt to disturbance. There is
sites, are not limited (Boutros et al. 2007). The one case known from our study area in June 1987
structure and the tree species composition has re- where a female lynx abandoned a litter after an in-
cently improved towards more natural forests, and tervention of woodsmen at the den. On the other
there is no reason to believe that this tendency will hand, research tagging of lynx kittens at the den site
discontinue. We consider habitat quality per se to (Breitenmoser-Würsten et al. 2007a) was benign. Al-
be of little concern at present and in the near future, though most lynx dens were remote, females some-
compared to fragmentation of the habitat (see Ta- times gave birth near areas of high human activity
ble 2). Small-scale fragmentation, resulting in a (Boutros et al. 2007), e.g. 50 m from a logging place.
patchy mosaic of forest and pastures, is a benefit Lynx were generally tolerant of human presence
to prey and does not hinder lynx movements. Larg- and activity within the prime habitat of the home-
er gaps in the forest (typically correlated with dense range cores. Nevertheless, direct and indirect dis-
human infrastructure), however, cause breaks in turbance losses were the most important of all
the land tenure system and limit potential popula- known mortalities (Schmidt-Posthaus et al. 2002,
tion size (Zimmermann & Breitenmoser 2007). Breitenmoser-Würsten et al. 2007a). In the Jura
Road and railways are not barriers to lynx move- Mountains, 36% of lynx mortality was caused by
ment in the Jura Mountains, as long as they are not traffic accidents, 6% by other human related acci-
associated with broad strips of open landscape. dents, 11% by legal killings or removals, and 19%
Highways formed boundaries between lynx home by illegal killings. Road kills are most likely to be
ranges or separated subpopulations with limited reported and are overrepresented in the sample.
exchange of individuals in the Alps (Breitenmo- Traversing roads and railways were common with-
ser-Würsten et al. 2001), but we have no indication in individual home ranges. Even a second-class
for this from the Jura Mountains. A depression of highway traversing the study area in the Swiss Jura
the prey base strong enough to jeopardise the lynx Mountains was regularly crossed by lynx living on
population is not likely to happen in the Jura either side. The radio-tagged female, FMARA,
Mountains. We have observed a numerical and crossed this highway regularly for many years, but
functional response of lynx to changes in roe deer was killed on this road at 14 years of age. The sec-
density in the Alps (KORA, unpubl. data), but prey ond, most important cause of human related mor-
availability was not limiting the lynx population in tality is illegal killing. Although most information
the Jura Mountains (Molinari-Jobin et al. 2007). was available from the study area (Breitenmoser-
Derived from the trends in the hunting statistics, Würsten et al. 2007a), the distribution of known
the roe deer population has increased during the cases indicate that illegal killings occur throughout
period of lynx fieldwork both in the French (Stahl the Jura Mountains. Illegal killing was ranked first
et al. 2001a) and in the Swiss (Molinari-Jobin et al. in our assessment of threats (see Table 2) and is
348 E WILDLIFE BIOLOGY ? 13:4 (2007)
mainly a consequence of the hunters’ resistance A healthy lynx population requires a minimum
against the return of the competitor. This is ex- density and the typical land tenure system to secure
pressed in most statements of hunters and even of a sufficient recruitment (Breitenmoser et al. 1993,
sheep breeders (e.g. Boegli 1992 and Grosjean 1992, Breitenmoser-Würsten et al. 2007b). The loss of de-
respectively), but there is an underlying general so- mographic viability can be a consequence of low
ciocultural conflict between urban advocates of the abundance or an unbalanced sex ratio as a result
lynx and rural society, which is hard to grasp. Con- of a high or sex-biased mortality, and a high degree
sidering a fair number of unrecorded cases of illegal of fragmentation that impedes the migration of in-
killings (based on radio-tagged lynx alone, Breiten- dividuals between disjunct subpopulations. Assess-
moser-Würsten et al. (2007a) estimated that illegal ing demographic viability requires a wealth of in-
killing could be as much as half of the mortality) it is formation and data, and establishing whether any
obvious that anthropogenic mortality shapes the free-living population is demographically viable
dynamic of the lynx population in the Jura Moun- can be hard. The same is true for genetic viability,
tains. After illegal killing, we have ranked traffic although we now have instruments to measure the
accidents highest among the threats to the lynx degree of inbreeding and genetic drift. In a reintro-
(see Table 2). Officially authorised removal of ani- duced population (a typical bottleneck-situation)
mals has not been a major source of losses to the such as the lynx in the Jura Mountains, the risk of
Jura Mountains lynx. In France, nine lynx have genetic drift and loss of genetic variability is high
been removed as stock raiders so far (Stahl et al. (Frankham et al. 2002). The possible consequences
2001b), and one has been removed in Switzerland can be anatomic malformation, reduced fertility
(Breitenmoser-Würsten et al. 2007a).However,pop- and weakened immunoresistance. Preliminary re-
ulation control measures are only sustainable as long sults from the assessment of the genetic status of
as they are compensatory to other losses. The most the Jura lynx population compared to the founder
obvious effect of the high anthropogenic losses was population from the Slovak Carpathian Mountains
the low mean age of resident lynx, indicating a fast indicate slightly reduced heterozygosity and loss of
turnover of the population (Breitenmoser-Würsten rare alleles (G. Obexer-Ruff & C. Breitenmoser-
et al. 2007a). Würsten, pers. comm.). We have no indication that
reduced genetic variability has impacted the popu-
lation, but as long as the Jura lynx population re-
Natural factors and population viability mains isolated (Zimmermann & Breitenmoser
Natural or intrinsic threats include disease, preda- 2007), the genetic status of the population should
tion and loss of demographic and/or genetic viabil- be carefully monitored (see Table 2).
ity. Occurrence of disease in lynx from the Jura
Mountains (Schmidt-Posthaus et al. 2002, Breiten-
moser-Würsten et al. 2007a), include three cases of Conservation concepts and management
rabies in France (Stahl & Vandel 1999). In the Alps,
lynx suffered losses from sarcoptic mange (Ryser- The review of the ecology and the status of the lynx
Degiorgis et al. 2002), but the solitarily living lynx is in the Jura Mountains, and the identification of
generally not very vulnerable to epizootic diseases threats, allow prioritising of conservation mea-
(Ryser-Degiorgis 2001). Rabies and sarcoptic sures. The implementation of such measures re-
mange were most likely transferred from red foxes, quires a legal framework, a conservation strategy,
the vector species of these diseases and an occasion- and a broad consensus among all interest groups
al prey of lynx (Molinari-Jobin et al. 2007). Preda- involved.
tion is no risk for the lynx in the Jura Mountains at
present. Top predators are rare victims of preda- Conservation priorities
tion; Matjuschkin (1978) listed some anecdotal ob- According to our assessment and ranking of threats
servations of mainly young lynx being killed by (see Table 2), habitat loss, prey decline and disease
other predators. If it were to recolonise the Jura pose minimal risks to the population. Habitat frag-
Mountains, the wolf would be a competitor to mentation, traffic accidents and loss of demograph-
(more than a predator of) lynx and, hence, depress ic or genetic viability, however, are problematic
the total carrying capacity of the mountain range when combined with other risks. Illegal killing is
for the felid carnivore. the only threat that we believe to be effective at
E WILDLIFE BIOLOGY ? 13:4 (2007) 349
the population level on its own. Many of the threats gang et al. 2001, Oggier et al. 2001). To connect the
are potentially interlinked; if the population is Jura Mountains with neighbouring mountain
stressed from one, the mortality due to another risk ranges, habitat in the most likely corridors for mi-
factor may increase. Such positive feedback mech- grating wildlife (Zimmermann & Breitenmoser
anisms can cause an extinction vortex even if the 2007) should be improved. The importance of the
single threats involved do not seem to cause signif- first chain of the Jura Mountains as a corridor be-
icant mortality. At that point, deterministic (an- tween the Alps in the south and the Vosges Moun-
thropogenic mortality, prey decline, habitat deteri- tains and the Black Forest in the north have been
oration and fragmentation) and stochastic (genetic recognised, and international corridors including
drift, random demographic fluctuations, cata- fauna passages have been proposed (Holzgang et
strophes and diseases) factors interact (Lacy 1997). al. 2001).
In this paper, we will discuss possible measures and The incidence of diseases, heterozygosity and al-
actions to secure 1) the ecological foundation (hab- lele frequency must be carefully surveyed. Every
itat and prey), 2) population viability (fragmenta- lynx found dead and samples from living animals
tion, demographic and genetic viability), and 3) co- must be included in pathological and genetic
existence with humans. screening. Increasing disease frequency might indi-
cate inbreeding depression. The possibility of inte-
Ecological conditions rvention is limited, but in a critical situation, veteri-
The basic ecological conditions for the lynx in the nary treatment of individuals in the field may be
Jura Mountains are excellent if the habitat is main- justified. To reduce the effect of genetic impove-
tained and harvest of ungulates is sustainable. The rishment, animals with a low degree of inbreeding
forests have expanded and are today more natural (but from the same subspecies or ecotype) should be
than they were some decades ago. There is no rea- released. However, to prevent negative stochastic
son to believe that this tendency will end, and we do processes and to keep the population viable, lynx
not see any need for specific conservation actions colonisation over the entire mountain range and
regarding habitat management. The prey base has connections to neighbouring populations should
increased and is now at least stable. Lynx have had be a priority (Zimmermann & Breitenmoser 2007).
a considerable impact on local roe deer populations
in the Alps (Haller 1992, Breitenmoser et al. 1993, Coexistence with humans
and KORA, unpubl. data), but not in the Jura Anthropogenic losses are the most important
Mountains. The chamois is more vulnerable to lynx threat, but they are hard to overcome. Corridors
predation than the roe deer (Jobin et al. 2000, Mo- and green bridges will not reduce traffic accidents,
linari-Jobin et al. 2002), and depression of local because lynx are struck on any road or railway, not
chamois populations may be more likely. Predation only at critical spots. Retaliation killing can only be
should be taken into consideration when the har- reduced when the conflict with hunters and sheep
vest quotas of ungulates are established. Neverthe- breeders is solved. The effect of depredation is miti-
less, the impact of lynx on its prey populations is of gated in both countries through governmental com-
more concern in the conflict with hunters than it is pensation of approved losses, promotion of preven-
in resource depression. tive measures (fences and guarding animals), and
the removal of chronic stock raiders (Capt et al.
Population viability 1993, Angst et al. 2000, Buwal 2004, Stahl et al.
The viability of a population depends on available 2001b, 2002, Angst et al. 2002). According to a sur-
living space (Zimmermann & Breitenmoser 2002), vey by Steck & Tester (2001), Swiss sheep breeders
demography and stochastic events. For lynx to sur- were mostly satisfied with the compensation scheme.
vive in the Jura Mountains, we must counteract Spatial and temporal distribution of killed lynx
fragmentation, secure a demographically healthy compared to cases of depredation, and statements
population, and increase the genetic variability if of sheep breeders and hunters indicated that the
needed. Within the Jura Mountains, fragmentation conflict with the hunters is the primary reason for
is relatively low (Holzgang et al. 2001, Zimmer- illegal killings (Ceza et al. 2001, Egli et al. 2001). To
mann & Breitenmoser 2007). Passages across major reduce illegal killings, better law enforcement is
traffic lanes have already been built or are planned needed (Ceza et al. 2001). However, it is not likely
at several points in the Swiss Jura Mountains (Holz- that this conflict (lasting 30 years in Switzerland)
350 E WILDLIFE BIOLOGY ? 13:4 (2007)
can be solved through restrictive measures alone 2000). The Swiss Agency for Environment, Forest
(Breitenmoser & Breitenmoser-Würsten 2001). Con- and Landscape (SAEFL) introduced a management
flict management that addresses the underlying so- plan for lynx in 2000 (Buwal 2004), which had pre-
ciopolitical conflicts will also be needed. Although viously been through political and public consulta-
hunters and sheep breeders are branded as the sole tion. The management plan prescribes population
lynx antagonists, they find support in their rural control if the impact of a local lynx population on
community. A public opinion poll in Switzerland its prey population is too strong. Possible interven-
(Wild-Eck & Zimmerman 2001) revealed that 75% tions could be either translocation of lynx aiming to
of those asked were in favour of lynx. However, the expand the population, or when further transloca-
support was weaker in the Alps, in the French speak- tions are no longer possible, limited reduction. A
ing part of Switzerland and in the rural areas com- recent inquiry on the attitudes of residents in the
pared to the urban centres. Two years later, Hunzi- French Alps towards the wolf (Bath 1998) revealed
ker et al. (2001) performed a more specific inquiry that people are willing to accept its presence, as long
regarding the acceptance of carnivores. At that time, as there were not 'too many'. The same pattern was
a controversy about lynx in the northwestern Alps of observed by Egli et al. (2001) in the Swiss Alps. All
Switzerland was at its peak (Breitenmoser et al. 1999) persons asked stated that they were willing to accept
and was daily covered by the mass media. Hunziker lynx, if they would not exceed a certain number. Of
et al. (2001) found an increased general acceptance course, opinions regarding tolerable lynx abun-
of large carnivores compared to the previous poll, dance are divided. Further, Egli et al. (2001) found
but in the Simmental, the epicentre of the conflict, that local people did not trust in lynx numbers pro-
a majority was now against the presence of lynx. duced by scientists. But the mistrust goes beyond
Both, the general increase and the regional decrease numbers. For rural people (and not just for the
in acceptance was likely a consequence of the media anti-carnivore hardliners), scientists and managers
campaigns. When, at a national level, people con- (from the urban centres) often represent dominant
demned the publicised illegal killing, local people culture and hegemonic knowledge (Skogen 2003).
declared their solidarity with the hunters and sheep However, a foundation of trust between all partners
breeders (Hunziker et al. 2001). This process indi- involved is indispensable for an adaptive process in
cates that such conflicts cannot be solved through carnivore conservation. Joint practical work can di-
legal protection and law enforcement alone. Local minish cultural barriers. Skogen (2003) described
people and interest groups must be involved in a project in Norway where biologists, managers
the discussion and in the decision-making process. and local hunters joined in lynx census fieldwork.
This implies negotiation and eventually a compro- This project did not only improve the lynx monitor-
mise regarding the conservation and management ing, it had an additional confidence-building effect.
of lynx.

Legal framework, management concepts Conclusions

and implementation
International treaties such as the Council of Europe’s In order to facilitate lynx monitoring in the Swiss
Convention on the Conservation of European Jura Mountains and build mutual trust between in-
Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern Convention) terest groups, we have established a 'lynx group'
and the Habitat Directives of the European Union including game wardens, hunters, naturalists and
assure the existence of the Jura lynx population. scientists. Such a monitoring group already exists
National laws in both countries give the species in France ('Réseau Lynx'; see Vandel & Stahl
year-round protection. Treaties and laws, however, 1998a). Continued monitoring, interregional coop-
are not directly relevant for discussion with local eration and public involvement should eventually
people. At the operational level, conservation ac- result in a broadly accepted management plan for
tion plans are needed. Model plans have recently the Jura lynx population. The Swiss Lynx Concept,
been produced by the Large Carnivore Initiative adopted in 2000 and revised in 2004 (Buwal 2004),
for Europe, a loose connection of experts and marked the transition from a policy of full protec-
NGOs involved in carnivore conservation across tion to conservation through management. As a
Europe, on behalf of the Council of Europe/Bern first practical measure, six lynx from the north-
Convention (for the lynx, see Breitenmoser et al. western Swiss Alps and three from the Jura popu-
E WILDLIFE BIOLOGY ? 13:4 (2007) 351
lation were translocated to the eastern Swiss Alps. Bergier, J-F. 1990: Wirtschaftsgeschichte der Schweiz. -
This measure aimed to expand the area occupied by Benziger Verlag AG, Zürich, Switzerland, 396 pp. (In
lynx and at the same time reduce local lynx abun- German).
dance in areas where they were considered 'too Bernhart, F. 1990: Untersuchungen des Aktivitätsmus-
many'. An additional aim was to mix the gene pools ters des Luchses Lynx lynx in der Schweiz - Experi-
mente und Felduntersuchungen. - Diplomarbeit, Uni-
of the two reintroduced populations.
versität Bern, 78 pp. (In German).
Translocations and even removal of problem an- Blant, M. 2001: Le Jura - Le paysage, la vie sauvage, les
imals are widely accepted management measures. terroirs. - Delachaux et Niestlé SA, Lausanne, 351 pp.
The Swiss Lynx Concept, however, holds out the (In French).
prospect of culling lynx if they have a considerable Boegli, J-P. 1992: The Lynx and Hunting. The situation,
impact on local wild prey abundance. Such inter- conservation needs and reintroduction of lynx in
ventions are still highly controversial, greeted by Europe. - Environmental Encounters, No. 11. Stras-
hunters, but rejected by nature conservation orga- bourg: Council of Europe, Strasbourg, pp. 63-65.
nisations. The compromise in lynx management has Boitani, L. 2000: Action plan for the conservation of
not yet been found. But after a long-lasting period wolves in Europe (Canis lupus). - Nature and environ-
of total defamation and persecution and some dec- ment, No. 113. Council of Europe, Strasbourg, 85 pp.
ades of rehabilitation and full legal protection, we Boutros, D., Breitenmoser-Würsten, C., Zimmermann,
seem to come to an increasingly accepted under- F., Ryser, A., Molinari-Jobin, A., Capt, S., Güntert,
M. & Breitenmoser, U. 2007: Characterisation of Eur-
standing that the maintenance of large carnivore
asian lynx Lynx lynx den sites and kitten survival.
populations in a multi-use landscape requires an - Wildlife Biology 13: 417-429.
adaptive management with active intervention. To Breitenmoser, U. 1997: Significance of food resources in
assure that any intervention is sustainable, howev- re-introduction projects of large carnivores: the case of
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based upon ecological and biological knowledge XXVII: 269-275.
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fall and rise of man’s competitors. - Biological Conser-
Acknowledgements - we are grateful to M. Baumann and vation 83: 279-289.
R. Eyholzer (both WildArk) and R. Altermatt (Fish and Breitenmoser, U. & Baettig, M. 1992: Wiederansiedlung
Wildlive Service, Canton of Aargau) for providing data und Ausbreitung des Luchses Lynx lynx im Schweizer
on the roe deer harvest for the Jura Mountains, to A. Jura. - Revue suisse de Zoologie 99: 163-176. (In Ger-
Kempf (Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and
man).
Landscape Research), and Susanne Hagen (KORA) for
helping in the search for and reviewing of historic forest Breitenmoser, U. & Breitenmoser-Würsten, C. 2001: Die
literature. We express our special thank to P. Lüps for his ökologischen und anthropogenen Voraussetzungen
comments on our manuscript. für die Existenz grosser Beutegreifer in der Kultur-
landschaft. - Forest Snow and Landscape Research
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