Tri-national little owl conservation project wins Swiss nature prize

Little Owl Conservation Programme in the Dreiland region wins the 2026 Walder Prize Keystone-SDA

A project to save the little owl has been awarded this year’s Walder Prize. The Hermann and Elisabeth Walder-Bachmann Foundation (WBS) in Basel is honouring three bird conservation organisations in Switzerland, South Baden and Alsace.

To mark its 25th anniversary, the amount will be doubled to CHF100,000 on a one-off basis, the foundation announced on Wednesday. The prize goes to BirdLife Switzerland, Bird Protection League (LPO) in Alsace and the South Baden Nature Conservation Association (NABU).

By the turn of the millennium, only a few little owls had survived in the border region. Through their commitment, the nature conservation organisations, in collaboration with the authorities, the agricultural sector and volunteers, have improved the habitats of these small owls, the foundation writes.

Return of the little owl after more than 40 years

They installed more than a thousand marten-proof nesting tubes, planted around 5,000 fruit trees and created over three kilometres of hedgerows and 200 hectares of extensively farmed land. These efforts proved successful. After more than forty years of absence, the little owl bred again for the first time in north-western Switzerland in 2023. There are now several breeding pairs, according to the press release.

The restored orchards and meadows have also benefited other bird species such as the hoopoe, red-backed shrike, garden redstart, wryneck and corn bunting. Beyond species conservation, the project has thus contributed to the ecological enhancement of the cultural landscape, according to the foundation. It also wishes to use the award to recognise the “exceptional cross-border collaboration” of over 150 volunteers, the statement continues.

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Translated from German, reviewed by an English Department journalist.