By Justine Shanti Alexander with Fridolin Zimmermann and Philippe Christe, 19th December 2024
My family home is on the slopes of the glacial Giffre Valley in the French Alps, which ends in a picturesque combe known locally as Le Bout du Monde or The End of the World, and a high-altitude border with Switzerland. This densely carpeted valley, still abundant with larch and pine, is home to many species of wildlife, including the red fox, roe and red deer, wild boar, chamois and ibex. Growing up in the valley we came across these mammals often, but were not familiar with wolves or lynxes; these predators were considered to have long since vanished from the area.
The Giffre Valley in the French Alps. Photo: Justine Alexander.
The French Alps, a region characterized by its diverse and fragmented landscape, historically provided vital habitat for the Eurasian lynx. However, by the early 20th century this magnificent cat had become locally extinct in most of Western Europe, primarily because of habitat loss, overhunting of their prey (chamois and roe deer) and direct persecution by people, usually in retaliation for livestock predation and/or for bounties. The last historic observation of a wild lynx in Switzerland, for example, was in 1904 at the Simplon Pass. However, throughout the 20th century, France experienced significant forest expansion and wildlife recovery, with roe deer populations rebounding through reforestation efforts, improved wildlife management and hunting regulations. Alongside this, the lynx has been a protected species in France since 1976, improving conditions for its potential return to this landscape.
As a conservationist with a special interest in large felids, I was fascinated by reports of lynx sightings in the area over the past 10 years. Many of these accounts were passed on to me in confidence by members of the hunting and farming communities, who spend much of their time outdoors in the mountainous landscape, either hunting wild boar and deer or herding their cattle and sheep. Their stories sparked my curiosity; could the lynx really be returning?
Left: The Giffre Valley, France. Right: A Eurasian lynx. Photos: Justine Alexander (left) and Rima15/Adobe Stock (right).
Following reintroductions of the Eurasian lynx to the Swiss Jura and Alps in the 1970s, the cats have recolonized parts of France, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany and Italy. Since then, the species has naturally expanded its range and moved across the border into France, making its return to the Giffre Valley seem all the more possible. One example of such transboundary movements is provided by the incredible journey of Talo the lynx, who was found weak, received rehabilitation and was subsequently released—equipped with a GPS collar—in May 2013 near Geneva, Switzerland. After his release, Talo travelled approximately 80–90 km into France over a period of nearly 2 years, moving through various terrains and navigating around human settlements. By May 2014, Talo had reached the Mont Blanc massif and was recorded in the Chamonix Valley. Unfortunately, negotiating busy roads took a toll on him, and Talo was the victim of a road collision in the Bréda gorges in January 2015.
The French Alps, with their mosaic of forest patches and livestock pastures, present a complex environment where traditional livelihoods persist alongside modern influences such as an expanding tourism and hospitality industry. To explore the knowledge, experiences and attitudes of hunters and pastoralists regarding the return of the lynx to this region, we conducted a study in the Giffre Valley in the northern French Alps, where forests and pastoral lands blend with hiking trails and ski resorts. Hunting and pastoralism remain deeply rooted here, and this way of life, the family traditions and the personal connection that many local people feel to the land are evident in stories such as this shared by one respondent during our study:
‘My ancestors used to go hunting and we continue. My father used to go. My three brothers go. My great-uncles also go. Before, it wasn’t like now. There was less big game. To hunt chamois, you had to go to the high peak. Hunting chamois back then was a feat.’
Left: A Eurasian lynx. Right: A camera trap. One interviewee shared that they set up camera traps to monitor wildlife in the area during the non-hunting season. Some cameras successfully recorded images of lynxes in several locations over consecutive years, confirming their presence. Photos: Tomas Hulik/Adobe Stock (left) and Justine Alexander (right).
The idea for our research was developed in collaboration with colleagues from the University of Lausanne and the foundation KORA, who work on the restoration of carnivore populations and have expertise in lynx conservation in Switzerland. We interviewed local hunters and livestock herders, asking them if they had seen any signs of lynxes in the past 40 years and exploring their perceptions of the impact of lynx presence on their activities. We made sure to talk to a range of hunting groups and pastoralist families, to capture the diverse perspectives present in the community. Although some people were initially wary, few refused to speak with us; agriculturalists were the most difficult to reach because of their busy summer schedules. We also engaged with a number of environmental groups, working closely with key respondents such as representatives from nature reserve and local biologist groups.
We gained some fascinating insights from our conversations with the local people. Almost half of the hunters and livestock owners we interviewed had observed lynxes in the last 4 decades, either through direct sightings, camera-trap images or finding carcasses. These results indicate the species had been present in the area for some time, although no females with kittens were reported, so it is possible the sightings were of dispersing individuals or temporary residents. We found that hunters and farmers were generally tolerant of lynxes, not perceiving the species to be a threat to their livelihoods or activities, and expressing a willingness to coexist peacefully. This aligns with the fact that hunting and pastoralism in the region are rooted in a desire to carry on local traditions and connect with the community and the natural world, as highlighted by one of the respondents:
‘I love the mountains. I love being in places where you know the landscape. We can go everywhere in our area. Before, we hunted to eat, and now it’s a way of life. If hunting stopped, I would continue to look for signs of wildlife; it’s stronger than me. I get sentimental about this. This is where I was born.’
We set up a few camera traps in the area to monitor wildlife, aiming to capture images of lynx. While we didn’t succeed in that, we documented a variety of species including red deer, chamois, roe deer, wild boar, red fox and badgers. Left: A chamois captured by a camera trap within the study area. Right: The Giffre Valley, France. Photos: Justine Alexander.
In stark contrast, the presence of the grey wolf, which has been naturally returning to the Alps over recent years, has been met with strong resistance. Many of our respondents expressed deep concerns about the threats posed by wolves to their livelihoods and traditional practices. This was often because of the differences in their predation behaviour, with lynxes being described as ‘good’ hunters that focus on one prey animal at a time, compared to wolves that were perceived as not fully consuming their kill before moving on to other prey. These differing attitudes towards two carnivore species in the region exemplify the complexities inherent in wildlife conservation: while the return of the grey wolf has sparked fear and anger among large sections of the community, the lynx is now mostly tolerated. One hunter shared:
‘The lynx isn’t coming back; it’s already here. There was a time when hunters were against it in the 80s and 90s because the lynx took their game. Now I’m more against the wolf than the lynx. The lynx doesn’t cause as much damage as the wolf; it kills the animal and comes back to eat it over several days.’
The return of the grey wolf to the Alps has been met with strong resistance from local communities. Photo: Kjekol/Adobe Stock.
But gathering these data and analysing our insights is only part of the story. To make a significant impact, conservation researchers need to go beyond publishing their study results in scientific journals by actively engaging with local communities and fostering open discussions. This is why after completing our research, we organized a community event to share our findings with hunters, farmers, environmentalists and local residents. Everyone came together under the same barn roof to exchange views, discuss perspectives and acknowledge their differences as well as commonalities. The event highlighted the importance of continued dialogue in the community. It was fascinating to see everyone so engaged, with one participant remarking ‘Wow, this is so special—all of us from the same valley with such different views—but in the end, we know each other so well, and we respect each other’.
Sharing our findings and engaging with hunters, environmentalists and local residents at a community event. Photos: Justine Alexander.
The success of our research lay in capturing the insights of all community members, despite their sometimes polarized views. The final workshop demonstrated that even in a community deeply rooted in cultural traditions, there is room for respect and collaboration when it comes to finding solutions for nature conservation. Beyond the community engagement itself, our research confirmed that the lynx is indeed returning to this area, with 45% of respondents reporting lynx sightings over the past 40 years. This highlights the need to foster tolerance towards the return of these cats, and of large predators more generally. Additionally, our research provided valuable insights into the motivations behind hunting and pastoralism, which are primarily driven by a desire to maintain local traditions and connect with the natural world. This understanding helps shed light on how attitudes towards the return of carnivores in the Alps are shaped by cultural traditions and activities. Our study underscores the importance of community engagement and inclusive dialogue in ensuring the coexistence of people and large carnivores such as the Eurasian lynx, which will be especially important as threats to these species and their habitats continue to evolve. One participant highlighted these shifting challenges:
‘Tourism is causing significant disturbances. People are everywhere, day and night. This constant disturbance affects wildlife. I fear that if people find out about the lynx, they will flock here. However, the lynx could also be a symbol for protecting the forests. While poaching was a problem in the past, now there are other issues.’
Our work has also motivated environmental groups and residents in the area to increase monitoring efforts to document the increase in lynx numbers and investigate the possibility that they are reproducing. With camera traps now set up throughout large areas of forest by local environmental groups, there is growing potential for more detailed and continuous monitoring, and we look forward to expanding our knowledge of the Eurasian lynx in the French Alps.
The article ‘Return of the Eurasian lynx: using local stakeholder knowledge and experiences to inform lynx conservation in the French Alps’ is available open access in Oryx—The International Journal of Conservation.
The article authors: Fridolin Zimmerman, Justine Alexander and Philippe Christe.
This research was conducted in collaboration with a variety of stakeholders and was funded by the Interdisciplinary Centre for Mountain Research (CIRM) at the University of Lausanne. Justine would like to acknowledge her co-authors Fridolin Zimmerman and Philippe Christe, without whose contributions this work would not have been possible.
