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Zimmermann, F.; Molinari-Jobin, A.; Ryser, A.; Breitenmoser-Wrsten, C.; Pesenti, E.; Breitenmoser, U.
Status and distribution of the lynx (Lynx lynx) in the Swiss Alps 2005-2009
2011  Acta Biologica Slovenica (54): 73-80

We evaluated the status of lynx in the Swiss Alps for the period 2005-2009. Even though the number of lynx presence signs remained almost stable between the present (2,068 signs) and previous pentad (2,091), there was a 7.6% increase in the area occupied by the 5-km circular buffers around the confirmed lynx signs of presence over the five years period (12,637 km2). The north-western Swiss Alps (VI) remained the compartment with the highest number of chance observations. It was followed by compartments central Switzerland west (III) and north-eastern Switzerland (II). These sub-populations acted as source in the current pentad, as signs of reproduction were reported almost every year. The translocation to ¯north-eastern Switzerland® is still the only significant contribution to the spatial increase of the lynx range in the last 10 years in the Swiss Alps. The small and vulnerable north-eastern Swiss lynx sub-population plays an important role for the Alpine population. There is hope that in the future this sub-population could act as stepping stone to the eastern Alps and together with individuals dispersing from the central Switzerland west (III) sub-population would enable to found a new sub-population in central Switzerland east (IV). The status of the sub-population in the Valais (VII) is less clear. As only few signs of reproduction and mortalities were reported over the pentad, it acted more as sink than a source population. From the few signs of lynx presence reported in the remaining compartments (Grisons V, central Switzerland east IV and Ticino VIII) we concluded that only a few single lynx that did not yet establish the typical social organisation occur there. An occupancy-based population estimate from a parallel study resulted in about 111 (SE = 10) independent lynx for the period.

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