Moorland landscapes in Switzerland. The changing significance of near-natural cultural landscapes

Leng, Marion; Hammer, Thomas (2009). Moorland landscapes in Switzerland. The changing significance of near-natural cultural landscapes. Eco.mont - journal on protected mountain areas research, 1(2), pp. 57-60. Wien: Austrian Academy of Sciences Press 10.1553/ecomont2s57

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Switzerland has 89 “moorland landscapes of particular beauty and of national significance”. They consist of a large number of
natural, near-natural and human-made elements, which entirely determine the character of each individual moorland landscape.
They are generally perceived as valuable in terms of ecology, history and aesthetics: they provide habitats for endangered
species and for human beings, they bear witness to traditional extensive forms of land use, and they are seen as aesthetically
valuable for leisure and recreation. Moorland landscapes are the only constitutionally protected landscape type in Switzerland,
but, in spite of the widely accepted aim to protect them, they are by no means secure. Conflicting trends, such as the intensification
of land use, the abandonment of agricultural land and the growth in outdoor sports, mean that the biodiversity, unique character
and variety of some of the remaining moorland landscapes are threatened. They can only be preserved if extensive land
use, adapted to the special conditions in moorland landscapes, and associated maintenance measures continue and unsuitable
forms of land use and over-use are avoided.

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