Das Projekt Klettgau - Ökologischer Ausgleich in der Praxis

Abstract

In the mid-1980s, the Research Institute of Biological Agriculture in Oberwil, Switzerland, initiated and extensive project in the Klettgau region of the Canton Schaffhausen to evaluate the effectiveness of Article 18b of the Swiss Nature Conservation Act. This law requires the practice of «ecological amelioration» in areas of intensively cultivated landscapes, such as those found in this region. In these regions hedgerows and other ecologically important biotopes are rare. The goal of the project was to apply this law on a small scale by providing financial assistance. A total of 125 contracts were awarded convering a land area of 26 ha. Among the results of this trial are 4 kilometers of new hedges and 10 kilometers of new buffer strips over this area. Work will be continued by the responsable offices of the canton.