Switzerland’s only national park, located in canton Graubünden, has been included on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s ‘green list’ of best governed protected areas in the world.
This content was published on
2 minutes
swissinfo.ch/ac
Русский
ru
Швейцарский Национальный парк в списке лучших в мире
Only 59 protected areas feature on the green list, which is administered by the Swiss-based IUCN that announced the news on Tuesday.
“To now belong to the exclusive group of green listed protected areas in the world is a great honour for the Swiss National Park. We hope that we can inspire many other organisations in Switzerland to apply for this valuable label,” said Ruedi Haller, director of the Swiss National Park.
Established in 1914, the Swiss National Park in southeast Switzerland forms part of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Engiadina Val Müstair. According to the IUCN, the park covers 170 km2 of forests, subalpine and alpine meadows, and rocks and screes. It hosts nationally-threatened species such as golden eagles and bearded vultures. Around 120,000 visitors use the hiking trails in the park – which are accessible only on foot and only in the summer months – every year.
The IUCN praised the park management’s hands-off approach to nature conservation.
“The focus is on allowing natural processes, not on management to protect single species or communities,” it said in a statement on its website.
Seven new sites in France and two in Italy were also added to the list on Tuesday. These include the Coloraie du Volcan reserve on Reunion Island, the Contamines-Montjoie national nature reserve (Haute-Savoie), the marshes of the low valleys of the Essonne and Juine rivers (Ile-de-France), the Tour du Valat estate (Bouches-du-Rhône), the Sainte-Victoire national nature reserve (Bouches-du-Rhône), the Haut-Giffre and Aiguilles Rouges national nature reserves (Savoie) and the Natura 2000 site Bassin du Drugeon (Jura).
The two protected Italian areas joining the list are the Arcipelago Toscano National Park and the Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona and Campigna National Park.
Related Stories
Popular Stories
More
Demographics
Roger Federer is not eternal, but he changed tennis forever
Switzerland could produce up to 5Mt of emissions annually by 2050
This content was published on
Two to five megatonnes of CO2 equivalents per year: this is the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that Switzerland is still expected to produce annually in 2050, a new study shows.
US tariffs putting 100,000 jobs at risk in Switzerland
This content was published on
US tariffs of 39% on Swiss imports will directly affect 100,000 jobs, mainly in the watchmaking, machinery, metals, and food industries, economiesuisse warns.
This content was published on
Switzerland has released CHF4 million (nearly $5 million) to help Sudan, which has been severely affected by famine and cholera.
Switzerland rejects new Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory
This content was published on
Switzerland says it rejects the announced construction of thousands of housing units in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian West Bank.
Larry Finck and André Hoffmann named interim co-chairs of WEF board
This content was published on
The WEF also revealed an investigation commissioned by the board has cleared its founder Klaus Schwab and his wife of accusations made by anonymous whistleblowers.
Vice-president of German parliament in favour of Switzerland joining EU
This content was published on
The vice-president of the Bundestag says his country should support closer ties between Switzerland and the European Union given the customs conflict with the United States.
Lindt & Sprüngli reportedly considering shifting Easter bunny production to US
This content was published on
Swiss chocolate manufacturer Lindt & Sprüngli could relocate the production of its gold-wrapped Easter bunnies to the US in order to circumvent the import tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.
Swiss petition launched against curbing 30km/h speed limit
This content was published on
The Traffic Club of Switzerland (TCS) has submitted a petition to the Federal Chancellery, challenging the 30km/h speed limit on local roads.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
The infancy of the Swiss National Park
This content was published on
The first national park anywhere in the Alps was founded in 1914 by conservationists concerned about increasing industrialisation in mountain regions. They set up a Swiss branch of the Society for the Protection of Nature and won approval from parliament to set aside an area in southeastern Switzerland. Similar reserves had already been established in…
This content was published on
A century ago, Senator Walter Bissegger advocated for the establishment of a pristine nature reserve in Switzerland. Addressing his fellow parliamentarians on March 25, 1914, he said: “The question that will have to be decided today is, in the end, one of a fundamental nature.” “Do we want to create a sanctuary for plants and animals that is…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.