Brown hare: Geneva model shows the way

The European hare is becoming increasingly rare in Switzerland. Its numbers have been declining for decades.

The WWF is now looking for innovative farmers in the cantons of Lucerne and Zug to help the European hare.

Whether made of fabric, chocolate, or sponge cake: Easter bunnies are currently omnipresent. But the real thing, the European hare, is becoming increasingly rare. Since the 1950s, when the hare found idyllic living conditions in agricultural areas, its numbers have declined dramatically. In the 1990s, there were an average of 4.5 hares per 100 hectares; by 2010, this number had dropped to 2.3. This is shown by counts carried out in spring 2016 on behalf of the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN). The results from Central Switzerland are alarming: In four of the six surveyed areas around Lucerne, the European hare has practically disappeared in recent years. Nevertheless, the European hare is still hunted in Lucerne. For example, 22 were shot in 2015.

Recipes for promoting brown hare development

Together with farmers, recreational hunters, scientists, and authorities, the WWF is now exploring ways to help the European hare return. "We now know how to help the European hare," says Kurt Eichenberger, head of the WWF regional offices in Uri and Lucerne. "This year, as a first step, we are looking for innovative farmers in the cantons of Lucerne and Zug who sow their grain more thinly or are willing to create fallow land differently." In a second step, the situation of hares in the Alpine foothills will be examined.

Brown hares under pressure

Brown hares are actually steppe dwellers. In Switzerland, they live predominantly in fields and meadows in the Swiss Plateau and, unlike rabbits, do not dig burrows. Hares rest in shallow depressions called forms. Populations have declined particularly sharply in grassland areas – at an extremely low level of 1.3 brown hares per 100 hectares today. The situation is somewhat better in arable farming areas, where the average is between 3.5 and 5 animals, and a slight upward trend is evident.

The reasons for the decline of the European hare are numerous. Recreational hunting , increased settlements, roads, and paths are fragmenting and shrinking the animals' habitats. Hiding places and diverse food sources have become scarce due to the intensification of agriculture. In particular, grasslands are now mowed earlier and more frequently, which is often fatal for young animals. The once ubiquitous European hare is therefore now on the Red List of endangered mammals in Switzerland.

Geneva as a role model: Highest brown hare density in Switzerland

The highest density of brown hares was recorded in 2016 in the hunting-free canton of Geneva, where professional game wardens manage wildlife. This is the first density exceeding 17 brown hares per 100 hectares in all of Switzerland since 2006.

The median across all counted areas in 2016 was 3.4 brown hares/100 ha nationwide; in 15 areas, 1.0 brown hare/100 ha or less was observed.

Interested farmers and volunteers who want to get involved with the brown hare should contact info@wwf-lu.ch or info@wwf-zg.ch .

Interest Group Wild at Wild

The IG Wild beim Wild (Wild with Wild) is a non-profit advocacy group dedicated to the sustainable and non-violent improvement of the human-animal relationship. The group also specializes in the legal aspects of wildlife protection. One of our main goals is to implement modern and responsible wildlife management in the cultural landscape, modeled on the system used in the Canton of Geneva – without recreational hunters, but with reputable game wardens who truly deserve the title and act according to a code of ethics. The monopoly on the use of force should remain with the state. The IG supports scientifically based methods of immunocontraception for wild animals.