# Forest reserves A map of a former edition of the Atlas of Switzerland, the national atlas published by ETH Zurich. It opens only in the desktop atlas (version 4) for Windows and macOS, not in the web atlas; see the links below. - Map: https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/theme/forest-reserves/ - Map id: 1006 - Categories: Landscape and Space › Landscapes/Habitats › Forest and trees - Keywords: Animals, Environment, Forest, Landscape, Nature conservation - Published: 2022-06-14 - Last revised: 2022-06-14 - Content language: English - Other languages: [Deutsch](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/de/thema/waldreservate.md), [Français](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/fr/theme/reserves-forestieres.md), [Italiano](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/it/tema/riserve-forestali.md) ## Description *Forest reserves* Switzerland has a very long history of making use of its forests – to the extent that, at times, they have actually been heavily overexploited and reduced. It is only since the Forstpolizeigesetz, a law governing forest management, came into force in 1876 that this woodland has had the chance to spread again to reach its current expanse of around 13,200 km2. Nevertheless, forests are being exploited more than ever and have seen a sharp decline in diversity. Since all manner of living organisms are reliant on specific forest structures, efforts have been made to support them with the introduction of a forest reserve policy in 2001. One of the main features of this policy involves placing some of Switzerland’s forested land under particular protection. The establishment of these forest reserves falls under the remit of the cantonal authorities. Protected woodland is designated as one of two distinct types of forest reserve: a “natural forest reserve” (NFR) or a “special forest reserve” (SFR). In some cases, where both types of reserve coexist or are intertwined with one another within a particular region, these are known as complex forest reserves. *Natural forest reserves* The woodland in natural forest reserves is left entirely to its own devices and any cultivation is prohibited. This allows the ecosystem to develop completely naturally, both spatially and over time, passing through all the various stages from growth to decay (process conservation). The trees are therefore given the opportunity to reach their natural age and remain part of the forest even after they die and decompose. The old and dead wood is home to countless fungi, lichens and specific species of beetle. Most natural forest reserves in Switzerland correspond to the international protection category MCPFE1.2, which means that activities such as hunting or foraging for mushrooms and berries are not prohibited, trees can be felled for safety purposes along forest paths and roads, and forest fires are actively extinguished. The Swiss National Park is practically the only place where natural forests belonging to category MCPFE1.1, which are subject to stricter protection, can be found on a large scale. *Special forest reserves* In special forest reserves, the focus is on using targeted interventions to maintain and enhance or create habitats for endangered plants and animals, mostly light- and heat-loving species. These may be specific or suppressed tree varieties, or animal species such as the capercaillie, which depend on specially structured forest ecosystems. Special forest reserves fall under the international protection category MCPFE1.3. *Size and the protective effect of forest reserves* For both types of forest reserve, the size of the reserve plays an important role in producing the intended ecological effect. The bigger, the better: the larger the area, the more likely it is that all native habitats and environmental resources such as old and dead wood will be constantly present in all forms and at all stages of decomposition. This also reduces the impact of external interferences – large forest reserves have more of a buffer to protect them than small ones. However, there are also good reasons why some forest reserves are kept small: if their purpose is to protect rare forest ecosystems that only cover a small area, for example, or very localised habitats of rare species such as certain orchids or woodland butterflies. Around 119,500 hectares – in other words roughly 9.1% – of Switzerland’s forests are currently classed as reserves. The forest reserve policy aims to increase this to 10% (around 130,000 hectares) of forest by 2030. Its objectives also include creating 30 particularly large reserves covering over 500 hectares. There are currently 36 such reserves in total, so this goal has already been reached. However, these large reserves are distributed very unevenly across the country: 16 of them are located in the Alps (eight in the Alpine foothills and eight on the southern side of the Alps), but there are only two each in the Jura region and the Swiss Plateau. Furthermore, the aim is for network of reserves to adequately cover all types of forest, with particular consideration to be given to the protection of rare or endangered forest types and plant and animal species. Overall, the largest proportion of reserve forest is at the high-altitude sub-Alpine level, while the smallest can be found at the lower montane level. There is therefore still some catching up to do in the lower-lying areas of Switzerland. ## Sources - Eisenhut et al. (2019): Waldreservate in der Schweiz. IMPULS AG - Brändli et al. (2020): [Landesforstinventar Vier: Ergebnisbericht](https://www.lfi.ch/publikationen/publ/ergebnisberichte/LFI4_Ergebnisbericht.pdf). WSL, Birmensdorf ## Data sources - FOEN (2022): Kantonale Waldreservate. BAFU ## Data owners - [FOEN](https://www.bafu.admin.ch/bafu/de/home/amt/kontakt-und-standort-des-bafu.html) ## Citation The terms of use ask to name the Atlas of Switzerland and the data owners, and to keep the source references in exports, screenshots and embeds. Cite the map as: > Atlas of Switzerland (2022): Forest reserves. ETH Zürich. Map data © FOEN. https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/theme/forest-reserves/ ## Links - Map page, with the description and sources and a button that opens the map in the desktop atlas: https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/theme/forest-reserves/ - Open the map in the desktop atlas (version 4), where it is installed: adsglobe://map/1006 - Download of the desktop atlas (version 4) for Windows and macOS: https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/ads4-download/ ## Related maps - [Forest reserves Pro Natura](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/theme/forest-reserves-pro-natura.md) (id 130) - [Forest Altitudinal Zones and their Change with Climate Change](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/theme/forest-altitudinal-zones-and-their-change-with-climate-change.md) (id 1007) ## Maps to compare with - [Forest reserves Pro Natura](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/theme/forest-reserves-pro-natura.md) (id 130) For the use and citation of maps and data, see the [terms of use](https://atlasderschweiz.ch/en/terms-of-use/).