Mit dem WWF im Einsatz für den Hochmoor-Perlmutterfalter

The day for young and old! In this WWF maintenance mission for the Riedboda moor on Brambrüesch, the adults actively lend a hand, clearing bushes of growing moor areas, cutting back reeds, creating piles of branches, caring for woody plants and cleaning the area of rubbish. While the adults actively lend a hand, there is a separate programme for the little ones in the morning, where they playfully learn exciting things about the moor habitat and its animal inhabitants from an environmental educator.

WWF Graubünden will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2025. For the anniversary year, we are planting 5 bog birches on Brambrüesch.

In the course of the extensive renaturation, a remarkable moor has been upgraded in the Riedboden area on Brambrüesch. An attractive moor course with a footbridge and instructive information boards winds its way through the moor world and gives all visitors a fascinating look at life on the moor. The natural attraction on Chur's local mountain par excellence!

This event is aimed at young and old: the adults make a nature outreach and lend a hand. The children learn new things about the moor habitat and its inhabitants from the animal world. Nature-loving parents with their children and sprightly grandparents with their grandchildren – everyone is welcome!

After lunch together, the children can go on their own journey of discovery along the moor course together with their parents or grandparents - or make their way home individually.

The adults, who are still full of energy in the afternoon, have the opportunity to upgrade the dwarf shrub garden together with Nicole and plant more dwarf shrubs. In addition, Martin will give exciting input on the moor habitat - with a focus on peatland protection, peatland revitalisation and the importance of peatlands for climate protection.

In the course of the extensive renaturation, a remarkable moor has been upgraded in the Riedboden area on Brambrüesch. An attractive moor course with a footbridge and instructive information boards winds its way through the moor world and gives all visitors a fascinating look at life on the moor. The natural attraction on Chur's local mountain par excellence!

The "Riedboda, Brambrüesch" fenland is a network of acidic and alkaline small sedge reeds and wet meadows. The area is the habitat of various specialized animal and plant species. Common toads and grass frogs lay their spawn in the ponds in spring. It is also possible that the grass snake meanders through the area. Various grasshoppers, dragonflies and butterflies occur here. A special butterfly is the high moor fritillary (Boloria aquilonaris).


Rare upland moor fritillary

As a Euro-Siberian species, the high moor fritillary is only found locally in Central Europe. It specialises in life on acidic raised and intermediate bogs. In Switzerland, this sedentary species lives in some raised and transitional bogs of the Jura, the northern slope of the Alps and very small areas also in the Engadine, at an altitude of 700 to 2000 m. Apart from the common cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccos), the most important caterpillar food plant of this butterfly, it needs very flower-rich areas nearby. Peatlands are very sensitive to drainage (drainage ditches and pipes) and eutrophication (excessive accumulation of nutrients through fertilization or atmospheric nitrogen). For the survival of this nationally priority species, it is important that drainage ditches and pipes are closed and flower-rich buffer zones are maintained and promoted. Most of their populations appear to be stable, yet their sites are often small, isolated by nature, and consequently very vulnerable. The species will suffer greatly from global warming.

Peatlands perform important services for a healthy biosphere, for climate protection and the well-being of us humans. The WWF is not only committed to the preservation of intact peatlands. Farms work hand in hand with WWF volunteers. They help with the maintenance and management of moors and clear bushes of overgrown moor areas. In this way, they contribute to the regeneration of peatland areas.

This event is a collaboration between WWF Graubünden, IG Brambrüesch, Naturefriends Graubünden, the Office for Nature and Environment Graubünden and the municipality of Churwalden.


Program:

We meet at 8:30 a.m. in Chur at the valley station of the Brambrüesch cable car (bus stop 'Chur, Brambrüeschb./Stadthalle'). The train leaves at 8:40 a.m. and takes us up to Chur's local mountain. After a short walk we reach the Riedboda. Holiday guests and locals from Brambrüesch join at 9:00 a.m. directly at the scene.

We are divided into a children's group, which is supervised by nature educator Yvonne Panzer, and an adult group, which is led by WWF mission managers Nicole Ackermann and Martin Stieger. At noon we all come together again and eat at the barbecue area. Freshly strengthened, the adults who still have energy go back to work and the children go on a journey of discovery through the moor with their parents or grandparents or make their way home individually. At 2:45 p.m., the adults end the day with a joint snack and return to the Brambrüeschbahn at about 3:00 p.m.