Wildlife corridors
To conserve biodiversity in Switzerland, habitats need to be connected to each other. For wildlife, it is essential for the migration corridors used by species to stay ecologically intact. Habitat fragmentation due to urbanisation and transport routes is a major problem for many species, especially for species that have large home ranges such as deer, wild boar and lynx. The state of wildlife corridors is a good indicator of the permeability of Switzerland’s territory for large animals.
poor
unsatisfactory
Of the 303 corridors inventoried in 2023, only 87 are intact. As over 57% of the corridors have noticeably to heavily affected functionality, and 14% can no longer be used by large animals, the state of wildlife corridors is rated negatively.
The changes in wildlife corridors observed between 2001 and 2023 reveal a generally stable situation, with a slight decline in the number of largely interrupted wildlife corridors. These improvements are mainly due to the wildlife crossing projects of the Federal Roads Office. However, the increase in traffic on cantonal roads, urbanisation and the construction of greenhouses and other fenced agricultural infrastructure for market garden production continue to have a negative impact on the functionality of wildlife corridors.
The restoration measures implemented since 2005, mainly in relation to the national road network, have not been sufficient to achieve any significant improvement in the situation of wildlife corridors. The trend is therefore considered unsatisfactory.
There is no comparable indicator in neighbouring countries.
The location, the perimeter and the functionality of wildlife corridors of supra-regional importance were determined in collaboration with the cantons on the basis of surveys of game wardens and hunting administrators, permeability models and statistics on hunting and road accidents involving wildlife. Based on their functionality, the corridors are divided into three separate categories: intact, disturbed or highly fragmented. Corridors that fall in the “intact” category are functional. The functionality of “disturbed” corridors is noticeably to heavily affected, while "highly fragmented" corridors can no longer be used by wildlife.
| Targeted trend | Initial value | Final value | Variation in % | Observed trend | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decrease | 2001 | 2023 | 2.35% | Stabilisation | unsatisfactory |
| Basis: Intact wildlife corridors | |||||
Further information
