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Maintenance of nature conservation areas in the Thurauen

Realized:

2019

performed by:

Naturnetz Nordostschweiz

The Thurauen are located in the Zurich wine country, where the Thur flows into the Rhine. With an area of almost 400 hectares, they form the largest floodplain area in the Swiss Mittelland. The Thurauen are a floodplain area of national importance, but also include many other, smaller nature conservation objects that belong to the national federal inventories. These include numerous amphibian spawning areas and dry meadows and pastures.

On behalf of the cantonal nature conservation office, we carry out strategic neophyte control, as well as any maintenance and improvement work required in these areas. Thanks to periodic operations throughout the year, populations of goldenrod ( Solidago ), Himalayan balsam ( Impatiens glandulifera ), annual fleabane ( Erigeron annuus ) and butterfly bush ( Buddleja davidii ) can be kept in check and out of the valuable areas. This creates space and light for our native flora, which is vital for the survival of amphibians and insects and therefore makes these areas so worth protecting.

In autumn, the focus is on maintaining ponds and other wetlands. Emerging, young trees are removed and spreading reeds are mowed in sections. This preserves the habitats that are worth protecting, which serve as spawning grounds for amphibians and as protection and nesting grounds for birds. Thanks to our efforts, the nature reserves in the Thurauen retain their ecologically valuable character and remain refuges for countless plants and animals.

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