Wald, Wild & Wanderwege: Eine Fallstudie im Aletschwald
Creators: name: Andre, Jessica Tanja Laila
Publisher: name: ETH Zurich
Year: 2020
Subjects: subject: Cervus elaphus
subject: Browsing damage
subject: forest regeneration
subject: Recreation
subject: ALETSCHWALD (CANTON OF VALAIS)
subject: Valais
subject: Switzerland
subject: Hiking Trails
subject: Red deer (Cervus elaphus)
subject: info:eu-repo/classification/ddc/570
subject: info:eu-repo/classification/ddc/500
subject: Life sciences
subject: Natural sciences
subject: FOS: Natural sciences

description: Forests are multifunctional and provide diverse ecosystem services. For example, it offers protection from natural hazards and is among other things a habitat for plants and animals. The increasing recreational use of forests leads to a steady decline of refuges for wild animals. This influences the spatial use of red deer (Cervus elaphus). So far, there are only few studies that deal with the effects of changing spatial use of ungulates on vegetation. In Switzerland the red deer populations are increasing. The dense population already has a noticeable impact on forest regeneration in the Aletsch Forest. Since there is currently no sophisticated basis for the proper handling of red deer in the Aletsch-Goms region, therefore the red deer project was launched. In addition to the habitat use, the influence of this species on forests should also be better understood in order to be able to derive measures for improved forest, wildlife and habitat management.
The aim of this work was to investigate the density of natural regeneration and the frequency of damage caused by ungulates depending on hiking trails, their intensity of use and visibility in the Aletsch Forest. The following three questions were raised:
1. Does the human intensity of use of the trails or the distance to the nearest hiking trail have an impact on the density of natural regeneration in the Aletsch Forest?
2. Does the human intensity of use of the trails or the distance to the nearest hiking trail have an impact on the frequency of browsing damages?
3. How do the influences of visibility of the hiking trail and distance to the hiking trail differ on forest regeneration?
Random plots were distributed within four distance classes along the hiking trails. 149 plots were surveyed. The density of natural regeneration was determined using the “Nearest Tree Method”. Generalized Linear Mixed Models were created to answer the research questions.
On 14% of the plots was no regeneration. The density of natural regeneration decreases with the distance and increases with the intensity of use of the hiking trails. In contrast bark stripping increases with the distance and decreases with the intensity of use of the hiking trails. There were no significant results with buck rubbing. The visibility showed no effect on the density of natural regeneration or browsing. Since literature already attached significance to the visibility, further investigations with different methods are suggested.
In order to check the results obtained, a space use habitat selection of the red deer and the creation of control fences near and far from the trails are recommended.