IMAGE: ALAMY
REPORT
Left: Wolves have recolonised the French Alps after being persecuted to near extinction Previous pages: The Tre Cime di Lavaredo peaks in Trentino, Italy; a bear roaming in Trentino
THREE MORE
Rewilded species in the Alps
ALPINE IBEX This spectacularly horned wild goat was on the brink of being hunted to extinction — remaining only in Italy’s Gran Paradiso National Park — before being gradually reintroduced to parts of its former habitat across the Alps. Its ability to feed and defecate on precarious grassy ledges helps to spread nutrients.
Paula Mayer, a research
assistant at ETH Zurich University, specialises in human-bear conflict. She explains that attitudes towards large carnivores can often differ from one postcode to the next. “In mountain regions in Italy, there can be a marked difference in community attitudes towards bears between those places where organisations have been in and spoken to the locals, and the places where they haven’t,” she says. “It’s pretty remarkable.” Tying in with this is the issue
of visitors. Trentino is, after all, a popular travel destination, and Mayer points out that having large wildlife in an area can be a godsend for responsible travel businesses. There are already examples in some parts of North America, where the presence of bears has long helped draw wildlife-loving travellers. “It’s the same here in Trentino,” says Groff. “There’s a lot of interest in our bears from visitors. Some are also a bit worried, it’s true, but around 80% or 90% of them are interested rather than fearful.”
90 The economic benefits are
particularly important given the challenges facing the winter sports industry. “Skiing is the mainstay of many Alpine valleys, but it’s now becoming tricky to have reliable snow,” says Quétier. “A big topic for some of these mountain communities is how to diversify. If we’re looking at less impactful tourism, spread throughout the seasons, rewilding has something to offer. Whenever you go skiing in the Alps, you’re in wolf territory — and often lynx territory, too.” Long-established tour operator
Inntravel is one company offering hiking trips to the Alps. Product manager Alison Temple is realistic about the risks. “The media coverage of an incident such as the bear attack in Trentino can create the image that such events are a regular occurrence, which of course they’re not,” she says. “Customers who actively choose our most challenging walking itineraries are always up for an adventure, and it’s our job to help expose them to the amazing
NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.COM/TRAVEL
wilderness of the Alps while being responsible for their safety.” With bad news stories capable
of distorting the picture when it comes to bears, it should also be stressed that, beyond Trentino, populations of brown bears in the Alps are sporadic to non- existent. Whether this changes in future remains to be seen. In the meantime, rewilding projects of other kinds — involving lynxes, vultures, wolves, ibexes and other species — continue to be initiated across various parts of the range. The vision is of mountain valleys restored to their former glory, brimming with biodiversity. In these fast-moving times,
rewilding can tap into something deeper — to the advantage of both locals and visiting travellers. “Rewilding can have cultural and spiritual benefits,” says Jarlebring. “Imagine a community reconnecting with the environment around them and feeling a deeper connection to the land. It’s about more than just practical advantages. It’s about fostering a sense of belonging and identity.”
WOLF As one of the range’s most misunderstood creatures, wolves have been persecuted over the centuries. However, since being designated as a strictly protected species by a 1992 EU agreement, they have recolonised the French Alps. Populations from Slovenia and Croatia have also begun to settle in the Eastern Alps.
BEARDED VULTURE An iconic presence in the skies above the Alps, bearded vultures — also known as lammergeiers — had all but disappeared before being reintroduced in 1986. It took a full decade of conservation efforts, however, before the first wild-hatched chick was able to fledge. There are ongoing reintroductions in France’s Baronnies region.
MORE INFO
visittrentino.info
rewildingeurope.com
milkywire.com
inntravel.co.uk
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