Reintroducing grazing in Alps could foster more resilient ecosystems, says environmental group

• 'What matters is to carry out concrete actions on ground and monitor them to show that they truly have an impact on biodiversity,' says spokesman for group

PARIS

An environmental group is hoping to revive wildlife in the French Alps by reintroducing natural grazing, helping to create more resilient ecosystems in the process.

“We are working with the residents of the Dauphine Alps to make nature functional again in this region,” said Aurelien Guiraud, spokesperson for Rewilding France, the local branch of the Rewilding Europe Foundation.

Noting that the Dauphine Alps is the 11th region where the group is carrying out projects, he told Anadolu that the group helps finance the rewilding of areas in the countries where it is active.

He said they support natural processes in the area, with the aim of enabling nature over time to respond to climate change on its own.

“These actions range from supporting the natural regeneration of forests to working on rivers to restore certain river sections to their natural state,” Guiraud said.

Founded in 2011, the Rewilding Europe Foundation currently operates in 10 countries, including France, he told Anadolu for its series "Europe's Peak: The Alps," which examines global warming and its impact on the Alpine region.

More resilient ecosystems

Guiraud said they plan to revive herbivores and wildlife in the Alps by reintroducing natural grazing, a practice that has gradually been forgotten, arguing that this would also make forest maintenance easier.

“This ensures more resilient ecosystems,” he said, explaining that within Rewilding Europe’s projects, a specific area with a human dimension is identified.

“What matters is to carry out concrete actions on the ground and monitor them to show that they truly have an impact on biodiversity and the strengthening of nature’s resilience,” Guiraud said.

He added that they have two major initiatives in the Dauphine Alps that will begin in 2026.

Under the project, Guiraud said they plan, in cooperation with local authorities, to halt timber production in one quarter of a 400-hectare public forest, adding that they also intend to leave deadwood in the forest.

“Along with deadwood, we also leave insects and many microorganisms,” he said, noting that by leaving more trees per hectare, habitats suitable for birds are created.

Guiraud said they will identify these trees together with the National Forests Office, and under an expected agreement, five trees per hectare will be left standing, emphasizing that such small changes create more space for wildlife.

Stressing that wildlife plays a key role in forest biodiversity and natural regeneration processes, Guiraud said their second initiative is to make natural grazing possible by reintroducing large herbivores that play a critical role in ecosystems.

He also warned that climate change will increasingly raise the risk of large wildfires.

But grazing reduces combustible material in these areas and so also helps reduce the risk of wildfires, he said.