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Abstract |
Switzerland has the oldest national park in Central Europe and in the Alps – the Swiss National Park in the Engadin Valley. Established in 1914 and with an area of 170 km2, the park is well known, and has strict but well accepted rules for visitors (Backhaus and Rupf, 2014). The Swiss National Park is not classified as a National Park, but as a Strict Nature Reserve category Ia (IUCN). It only consists of a core area without a buffer zone. In 2007 the legal basis for new protected areas in Switzerland including national parks (IUCN category II) was established. This was the beginning of several initiatives to launch new national park projects. One of them is Parc Adula (see Figure 1), situated in the south eastern part of Switzerland, with a total area of 1,250 km2 and a core zone of 145 km2 (12 %). Parc Adula is part of the territory of two different cantons and authorities (Grison and Ticino). In addition, Parc Adula is home to three different languages and cultures (Italian, Romansh and German), with about 16,000 residents in 17 communities. The land drops from the highest peak, Piz Adula, from 3,402 m to 349 m, and different biogeographical regions are therefore represented. |
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