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Alpine ibex live in colonies of varying sizes throughout the Alpine region and the Jura mountains.

Distribution of Ibex colonies in Switzerland

Since their resettlement in 1906, Alpine (Capra) ibex live in colonies of varying sizes throughout the Alpine region and the Jura mountains. Their habitat changes depending on the season.

Concept

The idea for this map was to create a simple but engaging visual to highlight the extent of the habitat of the Alpine ibex in Switzerland. Since Switzerland is a mountainous country dominated by the Alps and the Jura mountains and the main home of the ibex are the mountains, a good hillshade makes the foundation of this map.

To put the ibex habitat in relation to people we highlighted a number of larger Swiss cities.

Distribution of ibex colonies in Switzerland (winter)

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During the winter, the Alpine ibex habitats are located on the steepest southern slopes of the Swiss Alps.

Distribution of ibex colonies in Switzerland (summer)

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Towards the end of May the animals move to higher altitudes, with the highest areas being occupied from midsummer to the onset of winter.

The main map is supplemented by two additional visualizations showing the changing winter and summer habitats.

Sources

The raw data for the ibex habitats comes from the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN).