Project report (in german): Area Requirements for the Conservation of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Switzerland
How big should the area in Switzerland be, and which habitat quality and spatial arrangement are needed to preserve biodiversity and ecosystem services in the long-term, from an ecological point of view?
These questions were raised in the context of the Swiss Biodiversity Strategy, which aims to establish a green infrastructure of protected areas and connectivity areas until 2020, in order to better preserve biodiversity in Switzerland.
Answers are given by a new study of the Swiss Biodiversity Forum of the Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT) , based upon an extensive literature review and a habitat-specific survey among more than 200 biodiversity experts.
The main outcome is that the present quality, quantity and connectivity of numerous ecosystems are not sufficient to preserve their biodiversity and ecosystem services in the long term. The effective area requirements are considerably higher than the remaining areas. Area demand varies for different ecosystem types and regions in Switzerland. Stopping habitat loss, degradation and further fragmentation should therefore be of high priority. In addition, numerous ecosystem types require revitalization and restoration measures.
Jodok Guntern, Thibault Lachat, Daniela Pauli, Markus Fischer (2013).
Publisher.: Swiss Biodiversity Forum, Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT), Berne. 234 pages.
Authors: Swiss Biodiversity Forum