The diversely structured moor landscape on the left-hand flank of the Sarnen Aa Valley is considered an optimal habitat for the capercaillie. According to the Swiss Capercaillie Action Programme, approximately half the ca-percaillie population of the central Northern Alps is to be found in Canton Obwalden. Obwalden therefore has a particular responsibility towards this species, which the Canton meets by measures on three levels: forest management (1), protected wildlife areas (2) and information and awareness raising (3). In forest reserves the forest can develop in an almost unhindered manner. The capercaillie with its dependence on varied, structured forests profits from the creation of such reserves. A differentiated procedure taking into account the habitat needs of the capercaillie permitted us to identify the forest areas in which the capercaillie would most profit from forest improvement measures. In these areas trees were felled in order to enhance the habitat value for the capercaillie and indicator plots were established to monitor the effectiveness of these measures. The funding was made available within the new Programme Agreement “Biodiversity in Forests” of Confederation and Cantons (1). The provision of wildlife protection areas is our response to increasing disturbances. The highly sensitive capercaillie is a main target species for the creation of such wildlife areas (2). These measures need to be understood and supported by the public, which is why the third focus of Canton Obwalden is placed on public relation activities (3).
Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) populations in Switzerland declined seriously in the past decades. The national capercaillie action plan defines actions to improve forest structure and composition in order to further the populations of the largest grouse species. These habitat measures should focus on improving summer habitat for hens with chicks, because winter habitats are available in good quality and quantity. However, our knowledge on reproduction habitats in alpine conditions is limited. In this study, we investigated microclimatic conditions, i.e. plant wetness, and movement ability of barn fowl chicks in seven characteristic field layer types in the northern Swiss Lower Alps. In the experiment on movement ability, we worked with barn fowl instead of capercaillie chicks for methodological reasons. In the bilberry-dominated vegetation, we measured a significantly lower quantity of water than in the vegetation types without bilberry. In the movement experiment, we found no significant differences between the vegetation types. As a qualitative result, we observed that the chicks moved easily even in high (> 30 cm) and close bilberry vegetation. Our results suggest that bilberry-dominated vegetation provides better conditions for grouse chicks than wet meadows and pastures, because less water adheres to the bilberry plants. Thus, the chicks get less wet in bilberry vegetation, which probably has a positive influence on the survival of the chicks. Even tall and dense vegetation seems not to impede the movement of the chicks. The results of our experiment may not be directly transferable to the demands of capercaillie chicks. Nevertheless, our study provides further evidence for the importance of bilberry as capercaillie chick habitat, especially in regions with high precipitations.
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