Switzerland is, within Europe, one of the countries with the highest Biodiversity at a local scale. This is mainly due to large altitudinal differences and the complex relief. Biodiversity of flowering plants and associated species constantly rose until the 19th century, also because of diverse traditional land-use practices.
At the same time, a particularly high genetic diversity of cultivated and domesticated species, split up in numerous local breeds and races, developed as a consequence of the many small-scale differences among habitats in Switzerland.
During the 20th century only, these trends turned into a substantial decline of biodiversity, especially in the most heavily populated regions of the Swiss plateau. Today, however, this decline is increasingly affecting also the Alpine region. The trend reversal in the time course is paradoxically caused in part by intensive agriculture and in part by abandonment of land use, as well as by the destruction and fragmentation of biotopes.
Agriculture, originally a positive regulation factor of biodiversity (and landscape diversity) has increasingly become a negative one. Biodiversity in forests hasn't been an issue until very recently. The reason for this is the unique and restrictive law that prevented a decrease in the total forest area in Switzerland. It has clearly demonstrated the overwhelming importance of this factor for the conservation of viable forest populations of species and therefore diversity.
In October 2004, the Swiss Biodiversity Forum published the book «Biodiversität in der Schweiz / La biodiversité en Suisse». It includes a comprehensive analysis of status and trends of biodiversity in Switzerland as well as the need for action.
Find more information about the book under