Climate Change and Wildlife in the Alps

Climate change poses a serious threat to wildlife in the Alps, particularly for animals such as marmots and ptarmigans.

The associated warming cannot be argued away. Glacial retreat and melting permafrost bear unmistakable witness to this. Ticks also benefit from climate warming. The month of April is decisive for tick activity: when it is particularly sunny and warm, an especially high number of tick bites are recorded.

Reduced snowfall in winter and summer heat affect food intake and survival chances.

• Marmots are struggling to accumulate sufficient fat reserves for winter, as they retreat to their cool burrows during heat and are barely able to find food at night. Marmots can neither pant nor perspire to cool themselves and are, by nature, diurnal animals. Mild winters lead to a reduction in the insulation of their burrows, making them more vulnerable to cold and parasites. Researchers have found that Alpine marmots are increasingly unable to adapt to environmental changes, as their genetic diversity is exceptionally low — lower than that of any other wild mammal. The risk of population decline is heightened.
• Ticks, by contrast, benefit from higher temperatures, spreading into higher elevations and thereby increasing the risk of disease among wildlife.
• Ptarmigans and mountain hares are losing their habitat across many Alpine regions, as they are forced to retreat to higher altitudes due to rising temperatures. The absence of snow threatens their camouflage and makes them more vulnerable to predators.
• Ibex, chamois, red deer and roe deer are affected in different ways. In winters with little snow, they find food more easily without having to scrape it out from beneath snow and ice. At the same time, however, the natural selection that cold, harsh winters would bring is thereby curtailed.
• A pair of eagles strikes up to 70 marmots in a single season to raise its young. Should marmot populations decline, the eagle would increasingly have to prey on other animals, including mountain hares and ptarmigans.

The influence of humans on wildlife must not be overlooked. While climate change may not pose an immediate existential threat, it brings complex risks that are amplified by human activities.