Moor maintenance on Lake Silvaplana

Problem: The fen is becoming overgrown with shrubs and needs to be maintained.

Measures: Cut back fast-growing shrubs (especially willows), leave individual shrub islands and remove the cuttings so that the fen remains nutrient-poor.

Method: Cutting back the shrubs with brush cutters and loppers; creating small structures (e.g. branch pile construction – suitable piles of branches for bogs).

Result: The result is a mosaic of calcareous, acidic sedge meadows, shrub islands with rare willow species and small-scale structures.

Ecological added value: Fens have become very rare due to their low nutrient levels. Intensive agriculture, drainage, and land development have led to the disappearance of many fen areas. In Switzerland, for example, the area of fens has decreased by approximately 82% since around 1850. Today, fens cover only about 0.5% of the country's land area. Preserving existing fens is therefore crucial—they not only store carbon in the soil but also provide habitat for many rare plant and animal species whose habitats are shrinking. On site, we were able to observe, for example, the critically endangered marsh grasshopper, the adder , and the kingfisher .

What's next: The project will be completed after two years. It is still unclear whether further maintenance will be necessary next year.