WWF warns hedgehog population rapidly declining in Switzerland

In Zurich, the WWF counted only 900 hedgehogs. Keystone / Carlo Reguzzi

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has raised alarm bells that the hedgehog and two other species in Switzerland are at risk of extinction.

The number of hedgehogs, brown hares and capercaillies have declined by 30-40% over the last few decades, according to the WWF’s Living Planet reportExternal link on the state of biodiversity loss globally.

The planet has lost 69% of its wild animal populations over the last 50 years, the report states. In Switzerland the main concern is for hedgehogs, whose numbers “have declined sharply” in the last 25 years. In the city of Zurich, for example, the WWF has counted only 900 hedgehogs, a decline of 40%.

The density of brown hares (or European hares) in Switzerland has also decreased from a population of 4.5 per 100 hectares to 2.5 per 100 hectares between 1990 and 2019. As for the capercaillie, their population plummeted 35% in Switzerland between 1990 and 2017.

The chief executive officer of WWF Switzerland, Thomas Vellacott, says it’s possible to reverse the trend if Switzerland follows measures that have been used to protect other species. For example, Switzerland has helped increase the number of bearded vultures from three in 1991 to 250 today. The number of beavers has doubled since 2008 to about 3,500.

“With more protected areas, a change in land management and more sustainable consumption, we can stop the loss of biodiversity,” said Vellacott in a press statement.