Establishment of Swiss National Park

The Swiss National Park, in the canton of Graubunden in the Engadine, was the first national park in the Alps. It was founded with a strict aim: nature is left to develop without human interference, so hunting, farming, camping and picking plants are banned, and visitors must stay on marked trails. The park protects high Alpine valleys with pine forests, meadows and rocky peaks, and it is a refuge for red deer, chamois, ibex, marmots and golden eagles. The bearded vulture, once extinct in the Alps, has been reintroduced nearby. Scientists use it as a natural laboratory for long-term studies of ecosystems with no human management.

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