Topic: Herbivores and Vegetation Change

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Research Topic: Herbivores and Vegetation Change in the Swiss National Park

Continued Series of Observations in the Swiss National Park

In the Swiss National Park there are permanent plots on which relevees have been made at regular intervals over decades, some date as far back as 1917. Right after the establishment of the park, the first few plots were set up to observe the process of natural reforestation which was expected to happen since the alpine pasture meadows were no longer grazed by cattle. Various vegetation scientists continued the observations over the years and added new plots, and now the WSL team has taken over and continued the series of relevees.
The permanent plots in the Swiss National Park provide an eccellent opportunity to trace the succession from open grassland to a closed canopy forest.

In 1918 the first deer reappeared on the site of the park and subsequently the deer population grew to a peak of 2000 in the 80ies; since then increased hunting has kept their number at a steady level of about 1500. On the permanent plots the impact of the grazing deer, replacing the cattle of earlier days, can now be observed.

Studies will provide answers to questions such as:

Has the growing deer population put a stop to the reforestation process?
Can young trees still grow up under this pressure, will the woods eventually break down?
What happened to the quality of the former alpine pasture meadows?

How has the biodiversity of the vegetation been affected by the grazing deer?

about the research unit Vegetation Dynamics

Dr. Martin Schütz
Dr. Bertil Krüsi
Dr. Gerald Achermann
Helena Grämiger

Articles available on-line:

Neue Zürcher Zeitung , FORSCHUNG UND TECHNIK , Mittwoch, 07.06.2000 Nr.131
Geht das Vieh, freut sich der Hirsch - Spuren der ehemaligen Landwirtschaft im Nationalpark
Gregor Klaus
The effect of grazing wild ungulates on biodiversity in national parks
Wild ungulates as a management tool:
long-term experiences from the Swiss National Park with red deer
paper presented on 19-11-98 at the conference 'Large Herbivore Initiative' in Lelyststad, the Netherlands, organized by WWF International
Bertil O. Krüsi / Martin Schütz / C. Bigler / Helena Grämiger / G. Achermann
The course of succession from tall herbs to pine forest modelled
Sukzession über 585 Jahre - Modell für die subalpinen Weiden im Schweizerischen Nationalpark
Informationsblatt des Forschungsbereiches Landschaftsökologie Nr. 40 / Dezember 1998
Martin Schütz / Otto Wildi / Bertil O. Krüsi / G. Achermann / Helena Graemiger
Increased floristic diversity on subalpine pastures due to grazing ungulates
Huftiere und Vegetation im Schweizerischen Nationalpark von 1917 bis 1997: Einfluss auf die botanische Vielfalt der subalpinen Weiden
1. Vortrag gehalten am Workshop IZW Berlin, am 25./26. 3. 98
Bertil O. Krüsi / Martin Schütz / Helena Graemiger / G. Achermann
Expansion of forest into pastures not halted by grazing red deer
Huftiere und Vegetation im Schweizerischen Nationalpark von 1917 bis 1997: Einfluss auf das Wald-Freilandverhältnis
2. Vortrag gehalten am Workshop IZW Berlin, am 25./26. 3. 98
Bertil O. Krüsi / Martin Schütz / Christof Bigler / Helena Graemiger / G. Achermann
Huftiere und botanische Vielfalt im Schweizerischen Nationalpark
Informationsblatt des Forschungsbereiches Landschaftsökologie Nr. 28 / Oktober 1995
Bertil O. Krüsi / Martin Schütz / Otto Wildi / Helena Graemiger

A poster presented at a congress in Wageningen (PDF file 264 K):

Influence of red deer on vegetation change of tall-herb communities. A long-term study in the Swiss National Park.
Gerald Achermann / Martin Schütz

Other publications:

Schütz M., Krüsi B.O., Achermann G., Grämiger H., 1998: Zeitreihenanalyse in der Vegetationskunde: bAnalyse und Interpretation von Einzelflächen am Beispiel von Daten aus dem Schweizerischen Nationalpark. Bot. Helv 108 (accepted August 1997).

Krüsi B.O., Schütz M., Grämiger H., Achermann G., 1996: Was bedeuten Huftiere für den Lebensraum Nationalpark? Eine Studie zu Nahrungsangebot und Waldverjüngung. Cratschla 4, 51-64.

Krüsi B.O., Schütz M., Wildi O., Grämiger H., 1995: Huftiere, Vegetationsdynamik und botanische Vielfalt im Nationalpark. Ergebnisse von Langzeitbeobachtungen. Cratschla 3, 14-25.