SWI swissinfo.ch: Climate change is shrinking mountain hare's alpine habitat

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Alpine environment
Climate change is shrinking mountain hare’s alpine habitat

    Sci & Tech
    Environment

    in depth: Fauna & flora
    in depth: Climate challenge

This content was published on March 13, 2018 4:33 PMMar 13, 2018 - 16:33
Researchers predict that the mountain hare’s alpine habitat will shrink by a third every year until 2100

Researchers predict that the mountain hare’s alpine habitat will shrink by a third every year until 2100
(Rolf Giger, WSL)

Global warming is making life difficult for the mountain hare in the Swiss Alps. As a result, they are becoming increasingly rare, an international study headed by Swiss scientists has revealed.

Researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Researchexternal link (WSL) and the University of Bern predict that the mountain hare’s alpine habitat will shrink by a third every year until 2100.

The team’s studyexternal link, co-conducted with the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences in Vienna, investigated the influence of climate change on the distribution of hares in the Swiss Alps, analysing over 1,000 animals between 1990 and 2013.

+ other animals moving up the mountainside due to climate change

They found that the animal’s habitat will not only shrink, but also become more fragmented. As a result, the populations of mountain hare, also known as the snow hare (Lepus timidus), will become less well interconnected which could lead to a loss of genetic diversity, the WSL said in a press releaseexternal link on Tuesday. Overall, the snow hare’s population is expected to decrease in future, declared the authors of the study, which was published in the scientific journal Global Change Biologyexternal link.

“The loss and increasing fragmentation of habitats means that the species is increasingly endangered,” wrote the study’s main author, Maik Rehnus.

The scientists recommend setting up a national mountain hare monitoring system to help the animals continue to survive - and thrive in the Swiss Alps.

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"Hilda Lopez Roberts commented on the content at 13 March 2018 18:16".
Hilda Lopez Roberts Hilda Lopez Roberts 13-Mar-2018 18:16
Sorry to hear. Cute little things!

Unfortunately, animals are quite susceptible to changes in climate.

Hopefully; a "national mountain hare monitoring system," will "help the animals continue to survive - and thrive in the Swiss Alps."
Write an answer...
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