By removing wire pasture fences, the risk of injury to livestock and wild animals is reduced and at the same time the cultural landscape is visually enhanced. The old pasture fences are being removed as part of landscape maintenance operations.
The Pfyn-Finges Nature Park has already removed numerous old wire fences in various communities. We work together with interested communities, managers or land owners. In many places in Valais you can see old wire fences in the landscape. Often the pastures are no longer managed or the land manager has changed; however, the old fences remain standing. The wire doesn't just spoil our cultural landscape visually. Above all, it is an enormous danger to wild animals. These get caught in the fence and often die in great agony. The nature park is committed to removing these negative fences in close cooperation with interested landowners and managers.
With landscape conservation efforts, chain-link fences are being removed and replaced with living fences made of green clippings, so-called Benje hedges, at 4 locations along the Illgraben.
The renovations in Turtmanntal, Maiggen and Illalpe were carried out as part of landscape conservation projects. Community service groups and volunteers took part.
A Benje's hedge is a living fence and is made from green clippings. It offers habitat and shelter for small mammals and insects. This Benje hedge was created as part of a landscape conservation project.
Interested school classes can spend a project week in the nature park area and help alpine farms with the ongoing work. On the Feselalp, fences were dismantled, pastures cleared of bushes and stones collected, among other things.
The removal of invasive neophytes to promote biodiversity is extremely important. Along the Meretschi stream, large stands of Butterfly bushes, North American goldenrod, Daisy fleabane and black locust were removed.
A multi-year school project for the ecological enhancement of the vineyard parcel is being implemented in collaboration with the community of Salgesch.
Together with the participants, heavily overgrown pasture areas were reopened, hedge structures maintained and old wire fences removed.
