The capercaillie – or Tetrao urogallus – was a common breeding bird throughout most of our history. Essentially a relic from the Ice Age, it was common in our early pine forests throughout the Stone and Bronze Ages. However, it clearly became less common during the Iron and Middle Ages, when widespread deforestation and heath formation took place. In Eastern and Central Europe, as well as the Alps, Appenines, and other mountainous areas, the capercaillie was a luxury item avidly hunted by the elite. Cooked like any game bird with onions, apples, berries, wild mushrooms and roots, wine, and honey would be added to the spiced sauce. According to the Irish Vikings, it tasted good with mead. Together with gannets, storks, herons, sparrowhawks, grey partridges, pheasants, and cranes, the capercaillie would grace the tables in the lord’s hall.

The capercaillie is a true giant. The male bird can reach up to 100 cm and weigh 6 kg, while the females only reach 2.5 kg; about the size of a goose and a small duck. The most exciting thing about the capercaillies is, of course, the males’ plumage. With a green breast, brown wings, and white spots on its spread-out tail, it’s easily recognizable by its dance and its marvelous cackling and croaking call. While its closest relative, the black grouse, prefers heaths and boggy areas, capercaillies are fond of pine forests with bogs and older pine woods. However, these forests should ideally be grazed by large ungulates to create the varied and open landscapes providing both shelter and open “ballrooms,” as biologists tell us (Ludwig 2023).

The Bavarian Alps and The Schwarzwald are home to the last remaining metapopulations of Capercaillies in Germany.

In a new study, long-term data from the Bavarian Alps was brought together to answer the primary question about the long-term trend development of the Capercaillie population in the Alps. More precisely, the scientists evaluated spring censuses from a total of seventy courtship sites from the Werdenfelser Land, the central Mangfallgebirge, and the transition between the eastern Mangfallgebirge and the western Chiemgau Alps over almost 40 years. The average trend across the three areas studied corresponded to a significant annual decline of 1.86%, or 60% for the whole period. For the first 25 years, the dwindling numbers were gradual. After 2010, however, a continuous annual decline of 6.57% set in. The results coincide with many deserted courtship areas. These results correspond to continuing declines in Capercaillie ranges elsewhere. Although the capercaillie is not redlisted worldwide, it is a fine barometer of the combined stress induced by climate and outdoor tourism.

According to Ludwig and his group of researchers, silvicultural changes associated with rising temperatures are the primary cause, but also strongly increasing recreational pressure on the last Capercaillie refuges is likely related to the observed trends. In Bavarian research, the impact of “off-piste” winter sports is mentioned. Also, the public support of these sports, augmented by websites marking our off-piste trails, seems to have pushed the consumption of the wilderness to new heights. Despite prohibitions against people staying overnight as well as e-mountain biking, which are deemed to disturb the fowls in wintertime causing their premature death, these conclusions are confirmed by the results from Cairngorm in Scotland.

Mountain biking in Cairngorms

The Capercaillie is primarily associated with conifer woodlands in Scotland, especially mature Scots pine forests with an understory of heather, bilberry, and cowberry. In the 18th century, the capercaillie became extinct in Scotland, Ireland, and northern England, following extensive felling of pinewood habitats to establish grazing enclosures. However, in the 19th century, the bird was reintroduced in Scotland by landowners with an interest in shooting. In recent years, though, numbers have decreased.

The reasons for the recent reductions in numbers and range are poorly understood, but habitat deterioration, increased predation, fence collisions, and insect shortages in June seem to cause poor chick survival. Since the recent reduction in numbers, there has been a voluntary moratorium by landowners on shooting. However, as in Bavaria, there has been no sign that this has reversed the decline.

To a large extent, the experience of the capercaillies in Cairngorm National Park matches those from the Bavarian Alps. Here, the impact of outdoor activities on their “playgrounds” or “dancing grounds” serves as a reliable indicator that birds do actually inhabit a place. However, the conclusion is that capercaillies avoid mountain bike trails up to 500 meters on each side of a trail, while they only avoid 150 meters from a hiking path. In Cairngorm, this means that only 39% of the forests and 45% of the scrub areas are actually used by the birds, which have contributed to the region’s famous whisky, Capercaillie Scotch Whisky. Half of all dancing grounds were within these untouched areas, and 95% were less than 200 meters from the center of these untouched places. Hiking paths were deemed only half as disturbing.

Capercaillies in Croatia

Croatia is another location, where the Capercaillies are being helped along. In 2019 the Central European Breeding Centre Tetrijeb was officially opened, and in 2022, the project joined Rewilding Europe’s network.

SOURCES

Deutliche Rückgänge des Auerhuhns Tetrao urogallus
in den Bayerischen Alpen
Tobias Ludwig, Florian Bossert, Anton Kling, Franz Weindl and Helmut Ellrott
In: Ornithol. Anz. (2023) Vol 61

Mapping the distribution of outdoor activities to assess their impacts on capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus). Evidence from user-generated geographic information
By Leonie Schulz, and Martin Price
In: The 10th MMV Conference: Managing outdoor recreation experiences in the Anthropocene – Resources, markets, innovations
Red. Af: By Øystein Aas, Monica Breiby, Sofie K. Selvaag, Per-Ambjørn Eriksson, Brigithe og Børrestad)
Norwegian University of Life Sciences Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Oslo 2021
ISSN 2535-2806

The post Is the Capercaillie Next on the Extinction List in Europe? appeared first on Wilder Europe.

2024

MARCH

In France, the all civil servants will have to undergo training on climate, biodiversity, and natural resources issues.

The aim of this unique and ambitious initiative is to engage as many state stakeholders and practioners as possible, by raising their awareness and knowledge about both environmental risks and challenges to be faced, in order to initiate an effective, societal-scale transition that has to be collective, collaborative and systemic by essence. The ongoing inter-ministerial initiative is steered at national level by an interdisciplinary group of scientists who are responsible for framing training content and methods. The ambition is to guiding 5,7 mio. civil servants through the courses by 2027. The first results will be presented at the upcoming EGU Assembly in Vienna 14-19 April 2024

As the political biodiversity push falters, legal enforcement continues

Last week (13 March) the European Commission published its latest list of infringement proceedings against Member States. Most of the alleged failures to implement EU environmental law concern the bloc’s biodiversity rules.
At a time when the aims of the Green Deal are facing a backlash from the European right, some political leaders, and farmers, the Commission is moving against Germany, Slovenia, Ireland, Cyprus, and Bulgaria for alleged failures to comply with European environmental law.
The infringement procedure has four stages. In the first stage, the Commission requests more information from the country concerned. If the EU executive, is not satisfied with the country’s explanation, it sends a formal request to comply with the specific EU law.

The post News from Around Europe appeared first on Wilder Europe.

Wilderness is an increasingly rare landscape resource characterized by the IUCN as “protected areas that are usually large, unmodified, or slightly modified, retaining their natural character and influence, without permanent or significant human habitation, and are protected and managed to preserve their natural condition.”Retaining Wilderness Areas” is therefore listed at the top of its 21 action-oriented targets for 2030 in the Convention for Biological Diversity.

Unfortunately, not much true wilderness can be found in present-day Europe. However, Iceland still possesses large tracts of rugged wilderness.

In this realm, glaciers and ice caps intertwine, while vast sandunes and gravel plains stretch into hills and rugged mountains with their peaks reaching for the heavens. Between them rivers are fed by ancient glaciers, while hot springs  breathe life into the land cut through by gorges and valleys. Once forested, the cover is mainly grass and herbs in summertime.

Unfortunately, the protection is precarious, especially due to threats from renewable energy exploitation that encroach upon Iceland’s unique treasure. Other threats consist of tourism overflow and off-roading in wintertime. “Winter driving off-road over snow and ice remains an issue that requires further attention,” writes Carver and his research team.

Recently, this group of scientists posted a new method to map the icelandic wilderness to secure it from further encroachment, or at least to prevent entrepreneurial activities from being undertaken without public consultations.

This new approach to mapping wilderness is based on internationally recognized methods and customized to suit the unique nature of Icelandic landscapes. The scientists have used spatially explicit models of wilderness attributes that measure human impact from vehicular access, land use, and visible human features, rather than relying on proxy measures such as buffer zones. Seventeen wilderness areas are identified across the Central Highlands and surrounding areas, totaling some 28,470 km2. These are then compared to existing mapping projects, including the EU Wilderness Index.

The character of these areas is described using additional spatial data models on openness, ruggedness, and accessibility from settlements, along with information on mobile phone coverage and grazing patterns.

This is the most detailed mapping of wilderness in Iceland to date and represents an important step towards the formal definition of boundaries for wilderness areas meeting IUCN Category 1b and the Wild Europe Working Definition in Iceland.

Tourism – A Dilemma

Icelandic wilderness is a highly marketed tourism product, intended to offer “primitive” forms of recreation, opportunities to experience solitude, and a chance to find freedom away from the constraints of urban living. In 2004, a study was carried out in Iceland’s Landmannalaugar Wilderness based on 550 questionnaires and 12 in-depth interviews. While satisfaction was high and most tourists experienced the area as “unspoiled” wilderness, they also sought good basic services and infrastructure. In 2004, 20% considered the place overrun. This figure had grown to 33% in 2009.

One such dilemma occurred at Landmannlaugur Wilderness, where there used to be a path between the main center and the local hot spring. Tourists used to have the extra sensory experience of walking through the wetland to the spring. However, twenty years ago, the plants gave way, and the caretakers capitulated, installing a bridge. During the last decades, the number of tourists – and hence impact – on the wilderness has grown.

Cultural and Natural Heritage in the Wilderness

Landmannalaugar is a convenient stepping stone for nature tourists on the way to Vatnajökull. Before reaching the daring gletchers though, a visit to Þjóðveldisbærinn, the so-called Commonwealth Farm is recommended. A reconstructed farm based on the Stöng Farm, the medieval predecessor is believed to have been abandoned after the Hekla eruption in 1104.

The farm opens up into the central hall giving access to the sitting room, the store rooms and the bathrooms. Next to the farm is a reconstruction of the small church, which was excavated in the 80s. Stöngs farm figures in the now lost Gaukur’s saga. Visitors are invited to “see” the Iceland World through the preserved. Gaukur Trandilsson, is reported to have been an exceptionally gentle and brave man and fosterbrother to Asgrimur, who ended up killing him. Gaukur is also mentioned in Njál’s Saga and Íslendingadrápa, and a Runic inscription on the orkeney islands, which read: “These runes were carved by the man who was the most knowledgeable of runes in the west of the sea, using the axe that belonged to Gaukur Trandilsson in the south of the land”. Part of Games of Thrones was filmed at the farm and in the wilderness further inland towards the real wilderness of Iceland, the Vatnajökull.

SOURCES:

New Approaches to Modelling Wilderness Quality in Iceland
By Steve Carver, Sif Konrádsdóttir, Snæbjörn Guðmundsson, Ben Carver and Oliver Kenyon
In: Land (2023) Vol. 12 Issue 2,

Adapting to Change: Maintaining a Wilderness Experience in a Popular Tourist Destination
By Anna Dora Saethorsdottir
In: Tourism Today (2004) No 4, pp. 52-65

Managing popularity: Changes in tourist attitudes in a wilderness destination
Dóra Sæþórsdóttir
In: Tourism Management Perspectives (2013) Vol 7, pp 47-58

The Representation of Icelandic Medieval Heritage in Tourism
By Mariko Komaru
Thesis: Faculty of Life and Environmental Science. University of Iceland. 2021

The post Wilderness in Iceland? appeared first on Wilder Europe.