Trendy snow sports imperil alpine wildlife

0 Comments | AFP, March, 2007

PARIS (AFP) — Off-piste skiing, snowboarding and snow trekking, which are the boom activities in European winter sports, may devastate rare alpine species, scientists warn on Wednesday.

Swiss ornithologists looked into the effect of winter disturbances on a declining species, the black grouse, which lives in semi-open habitat between high-altitude pastures and dense sub-alpine forests -- exactly the sort of landscape also favoured by free-riding snow sports.

During the winter, the black grouse spends 20 hours per day holed up in a little burrow in the snow, which provides it with insulation against the cold and reduces its need for energy at a time when food is scarce.

The bird digs an igloo after its morning meal, and a fresh one at dusk, after an evening...