Raptor Conservation in Switzerland | Overview 1 Sabine Herzog FOEN & Stefan Werner SOI Gypaète barbu. © Roland Clerc Raptor Conservation in Switzerland | Overview 2 Sabine Herzog FOEN & Stefan Werner SOI Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications DETEC

Federal Office for the Environment FOEN Species, , Landscapes Division

Raptor Conservation in Switzerland “Overview"

MoU Raptor – TAG3 Sempach, 12.12.2018 Basel Zürich

Sempach Bern

Vienna GenevaSempach

Nizza

Raptor Conservation in Switzerland | Overview 4 Sabine Herzog FOEN & Stefan Werner SOI Switzerland is divers…..

~46,000 species (potentially 60,000) 49 endemics A gradient from mediterranean to high alpine species

31% Forest (>50% protective forest) 35.9% Agriculture (12% organic) 7.5% «people-» and infrastructure (60% sealed)

Raptor Conservation in Switzerland | Overview 5 Sabine Herzog FOEN & Stefan Werner SOI bio-divers…

Raptor Conservation in Switzerland | Overview 6 Sabine Herzog FOEN & Stefan Werner SOI Raptor Conservation in Switzerland | Overview 7 Sabine Herzog FOEN & Stefan Werner SOI but also cultural divers

Raptor Conservation in Switzerland | Overview 8 Sabine Herzog FOEN & Stefan Werner SOI «First crisis»

Engadin 1928 Saane 1894

Raptor Conservation in Switzerland | Overview 9 Sabine Herzog FOEN & Stefan Werner SOI First laws on «»

1875/76 first forestry law & hunting and conservation law > Sustainable forest use & > Protection of females & offspring > Delimination of protected areas

Raptor Conservation in Switzerland | Overview 10 Sabine Herzog FOEN & Stefan Werner SOI Switzerland is biodivers…

• Symbolbilder für Biodiversität • Symbolbilder für Wilderness

Raptor Conservation in Switzerland | Overview 11 Sabine Herzog FOEN & Stefan Werner SOI Recovery of & wildlife populations

Dägelsberg ZH 1900 Development of the hunting bag 1910–2000

Red deer 1961 1900

1936 1982

1961 2004 Raptor Conservation in Switzerland | Overview 12 Sabine Herzog FOEN & Stefan Werner SOI Switzerland as a federal state

26 cantons with a high degree of autonomy 3 hunting systems in Switzerland

Lease of hunting grounds to hunters for several years Sale of hunting licences to hunters on a yearly basis Use of hunting rights by state, no hunting by hunters

Raptor Conservation in Switzerland | Overview 13 Sabine Herzog FOEN & Stefan Werner SOI Wildlife management: legal basis and goverance Wildlife management according to national hunting law

Confederation

Conservation

of native species

species species Conflict management damage caused by game Protected

animals, threat Huntable

Hunting optimising game management Canton Raptor Conservation in Switzerland | Overview 14 Sabine Herzog FOEN & Stefan Werner SOI Raptor conservation is a positive story

Raptor Conservation in Switzerland | Overview 15 Sabine Herzog FOEN & Stefan Werner SOI Illegal killing in Switzerland in trival numbers

Raptor Conservation in Switzerland | Overview 16 Sabine Herzog FOEN & Stefan Werner SOI Reintroduction of bearded vultures

Raptor Conservation in Switzerland | Overview 17 Sabine Herzog FOEN & Stefan Werner SOI «Second biodiversity crisis»

Raptor Conservation in Switzerland | Overview 18 Sabine Herzog FOEN & Stefan Werner SOI Biodiversity Strategy Switzerland

Raptor Conservation in Switzerland | Overview 19 Sabine Herzog FOEN & Stefan Werner SOI Protected areas: Aichi Target 11

17% Minimum objective (Aichi Target 11) Missing area

Potentially designated areas

Designated areas for biodiversity

Raptor Conservation in Switzerland | Overview 20 Sabine Herzog FOEN & Stefan Werner SOI FOEN: Ministry and Agency

• Policy instruments: laws, ordinances, guidelines, protected areas • Agency instruments: action plans, monitoring

Raptor Conservation in Switzerland | Overview 21 Sabine Herzog FOEN & Stefan Werner SOI Monitoring of

• 4 breeding bird atlases in CH • 180 regular breeding bird species • >2000 volunteers walked about 46.500 km during mapping

• yearly mapping for Trend-Monitoring

1950–1959 1972–1976 1993–1996 2013–2016

Raptor Conservation in Switzerland | Overview 22 Sabine Herzog FOEN & Stefan Werner SOI Population development of 35 species of agricultural landscapes (since 1993–96)

Multispecies-Density change map

Raptor Conservation in Switzerland | Overview 25 Sabine Herzog FOEN & Stefan Werner SOI Development of species depending on dead wood (since 1993–96)

Multispecies-Density change map

Raptor Conservation in Switzerland | Overview 26 Sabine Herzog FOEN & Stefan Werner SOI Overview of Results 2013–16

• Populations of most forest species increased • Recovery of raptors and owls • Supporting measures successful • Open land species vanish • Most longdistance migrants decreased stronlgy • Insectivorous birds decreased strongly • Low populations of species • Climate change forces alpine species into higher regions • Disturbances increase

Raptor Conservation in Switzerland | Overview 27 Sabine Herzog FOEN & Stefan Werner SOI … positive trend of raptors

Combined map for Red Kite, Black Kite, Common Buzzard, Kestrel

Density change map

75% of raptor species show a positive population trend

Raptor Conservation in Switzerland | Overview 28 Sabine Herzog FOEN & Stefan Werner SOI Red Kite – population increase

1950-59

M. Burkhardt

2013-16 2800–3500 Pairs 10% of global population in CH

Raptor Conservation in Switzerland | Overview 29 Sabine Herzog FOEN & Stefan Werner SOI aus: Aebischer 2009 Movements of Red Kites

284 juvenile Red Kites tagged and 56 adults (2015-17) Data: P. Scherler & M. Grübler, SOI

Raptor Conservation in Switzerland | Overview 30 Sabine Herzog FOEN & Stefan Werner SOI Survival of Red Kites per month (percentage)

100 Adulte

birds 90

Juvenile

80 2016 surviving 70 Juvenile of 2015

60 Juvenile 2017

50 Percentage

40 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 Months after tagging

Raptor Conservation in Switzerland | Overview 31 Sabine Herzog FOEN & Stefan Werner SOI Survival of Red Kites per month (percentage)

100

Adulte birds 90

Juvenile

80 2016

surviving of 70 Juvenile 2015

60 Juvenile

2017 Percentage 50

40 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 Months after tagging

Raptor Conservation in Switzerland | Overview 32 Sabine Herzog FOEN & Stefan Werner SOI Survival of Red Kites per month (percentage)

100

Adulte birds 90

Juvenile

80 2016

surviving of 70 Juvenile 2015

60 Juvenile

2017 Percentage 50

40 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 Months after tagging

Raptor Conservation in Switzerland | Overview 33 Sabine Herzog FOEN & Stefan Werner SOI Common Kestrel – density increase

M. Burkhardt

M. Burkhardt

Raptor Conservation in Switzerland | Overview 34 Sabine Herzog FOEN & Stefan Werner SOI Protection measures and support

C. Folkert

M. Jenny A. Labhardt

Raptor Conservation in Switzerland | Overview 35 Sabine Herzog FOEN & Stefan Werner SOI Protection measures and support

M. Jenny

Raptor Conservation in Switzerland | Overview 36 Sabine Herzog FOEN & Stefan Werner SOI Peregrine Falcon – Population trend in Western CH (ca. 5000 km2)

R. Kistowski

Raptor Conservation in Switzerland | Overview 37 Sabine Herzog FOEN & Stefan Werner SOI Intoxication by pigeonors

https://www.polizeireport.ch/detail.php?art=2314

15 month of imprisonment

Raptor Conservation in Switzerland | Overview 38 Sabine Herzog FOEN & Stefan Werner SOI Research on Raptors and Owls at SOI

• Dispersal (Red Kite, , Little Owl) • Lead intoxication (Golden Eagle, Red Kite) • Long term monitoring (diverse species) • Species supporting measures (Scops Owl, Little Owl, Barn Owl, Kestrel)

192 nest boxes for Little Owl in “Seeland”

Raptor Conservation in Switzerland | Overview 39 Sabine Herzog FOEN & Stefan Werner SOI Challenges

• «Sterile» agricultural landscapes • Leissure time activities • • Lead • Pigeonors • Planning of Windfarms

Many research programmes at SOI

Raptor Conservation in Switzerland | Overview 40 Sabine Herzog FOEN & Stefan Werner SOI Former threats are solved… … but there is still a lot to be done

• Raptor and owl conservation in Switzerland: Strategic guidelines and management priorities for Raptors (item 7)

Raptor Conservation in Switzerland | Overview 41 Sabine Herzog FOEN & Stefan Werner SOI