Mires of national importance (ML, FM, HM)

Mires and mire landscapes are among the most rare and most beautiful areas of Switzerland, and they are of considerable natural value. They provide habitats for many species of protected plants and animals. Indeed, a quarter of the endangered species of animal are dependent on intact mire landscapes for their survival. Over generations, the indigenous population used mires and mire landscapes, leaving their mark. However, since the nineteenth century, many of these areas have been drained and robbed of their diversity, leaving only remains. In the mires and mire landscapes that are still in existence, the low degree of settlement development, the silence and the autumnal colours convey a feeling of harmony and closeness to nature. It is also for this reason that these landscapes are very popular as recreational areas.

In 1987, the Swiss people voted in a referendum to include mire protection in the Federal Constitution. Thus, mires and mire landscapes of national importance and of particular beauty are strictly protected. Based on this fact, and on the Federal Law on the Protection of Nature and Cultural Heritage, the federal government created three inventories: the federal inventory of raised bogs and transition bogs, the federal inventory of fenlands and the federal inventory of mire landscapes.