Valley devasted by storm named Swiss landscape of the year 2025

Val Bavona in Ticino is landscape of the year 2025 Keystone-SDA

Almost a year after the devastating storm, the Val Bavona in Ticino was named "Landscape of the Year 2025" in Cavergno, Ticino on Saturday. The Swiss Foundation for Landscape Conservation honoured the municipality of Cevio and the Fondazione Valle Bavona.

The prize was awarded to the municipality and the foundation for their exemplary solidarity and the preservation and maintenance of the cultural landscape, even in an emergency situation.

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The award ceremony took place in the presence of Environment Minister Albert Rösti who emphasised the importance of local commitment to the preservation of such landscapes. “Without the commitment of local people, we would not be celebrating this award today.”

In its laudatory speech, the Swiss Foundation for Landscape Conservation recognised in particular the “decades-long commitment of the foundation and the local population to landscape conservation”. On the one hand, this has led to people identifying very strongly with their valley and, on the other, it has led to the development of a community that is resilient in its actions.

Reconstruction with foresight

Roland David, head of the forest department of the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, explained that you can no longer rely on statistics to predict the likelihood of such extreme events, as they are becoming more frequent due to climate change. This had to be taken into account during reconstruction. Another natural disaster must be expected.

Franziska Schmid, an expert on natural hazards and how society deals with them, emphasised the importance of acting in solidarity: “We need to realise how vulnerable we are as a society and start there in order to find solutions and become more resilient in the future.” This also includes learning to deal with change, as the landscape in Val Bavona will never be the same again.

Seven dead in storms

Last June a severe storm hit the upper Maggia Valley. Seven people died and one person is still missing. The natural disaster mainly affected the municipalities of Lavizzara and Cevio.

The prize for the “Landscape of the Year” is endowed with CHF 10,000. However, it is primarily intended to recognise and support projects that contribute to the preservation and enhancement of the award-winning landscape and raise public awareness of its value.

Adapted from German by DeepL/ac

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