Research
📍 Kulturhaus Helferei
Infrastructure of a Migratory Bird
Felix Stalder
Vladan Joler
Gordan Savičić
This map represents the extent of the infrastructure needed to re-populate the bird Northern Bald Ibis in Europe, and the measures needed due to climate change. The bird Geronticus eremita, an endangered species, is a migratory animal with a historic habitat in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa and a rich cultural history dating back to ancient Egypt. In Europe, the bird was breeding north of the Alps, in Switzerland, Southern Germany, and Austria. It became extinct around 1621, due to over-hunting and adverse climate conditions. In 2013, after 11 years of pre-studies, a project led by the biologist Johannes Fritz began to rewild the Northern Bald Ibis in Europe. The majority of birds have been equipped with GPS trackers and are monitored in real-time. In order to enable these birds to live in the wild, an extensive infrastructure is being put in place. The project was realized in cooperation with the research project «Latent Spaces: Performing Ambiguous Data» at the ZHdK Zurich of the Arts, funded by the SNSF Swiss National Science Foundation.

