When sheep, cattle, and company occupy the space of wildlife

The Alps: for many, a place of longing for wild nature. But the reality is different: in much of the mountainous landscape, livestock farming (cows, sheep, goats) not only needs forage, but also actively occupies space, restructures habitats, and thus changes the opportunities for roe deer, chamois, deer, etc. Not only climate change and forestry influence the mountainous landscape: extensive and large-scale livestock farming on alpine pastures also plays a central role. Livestock farming currently raises relevant questions, particularly regarding the relationship between domestic grazing animals and wild animals. Below, key data are summarized, focusing on how the use of biomass by livestock can restrict wild spaces. Switzerland has around one million hectares of agricultural land, and the proportion of natural meadows and pastures is high. In Austria, hundreds of thousands of farms maintain large herds: just the current annual figures show millions of heads of cattle (cattle, ...