WSL, the canton of Valais and the Pfyn-Finges Nature Park present Switzerland's first hiking guide that allows you to explore research sites on foot - against the unique backdrop of the Valais mountains. The book and smartphone app were presented to the public in Valais on May 18, 2021.
For over 30 years, the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL has been conducting research in the canton of Valais on environmental issues such as large avalanches, forest fires and drying pine trees. Measuring devices and installations at a number of locations bear witness to this work - here a mast that measures avalanches, there a scale for debris flows and radar equipment. But what is behind it all? Anyone interested can now find out in the new hiking guide "Wandern, wo andere forschen" (Haupt Verlag), which is combined with a practical smartphone app for on the go and is published simultaneously in German and French.
WSL forest ecologist Thomas Wohlgemuth came up with the idea for a hiking book on research sites because Valais attracts both researchers and nature-loving laypeople alike. "The dry and warm Valais has become an early warning region for environmental change in recent decades," he says. WSL researchers are therefore investigating the numerous consequences of these changes here.
On the trail of environmental change
The eight hikes lead through fascinating landscapes to various stations. There is an irrigation experiment with pine trees in the Pfynwald forest, which are suffering from increasing drought, or detective work on the climate history hidden in the wood of ancient houses in the Lötschental. Other topics include the melting of glaciers up to the year 2100, including the consequences for water management, the reconquest of the Leuk forest fire area by nature and the development of settlements in the valley.
Another new feature is the accompanying free app for smartphones (hiking.wsl.ch). It allows you to leave the book at home, shows the routes and the current location and, if desired, draws your attention to the next waypoint with information. It also contains portraits of animal and plant species and rocks that the hiker may encounter along the way, as well as numerous videos and links.
Four of the hikes lead through the Pfyn-Finges Nature Park. Its central location in the hiking guide symbolizes its importance for the region. Anyone who appreciates the Valais, is interested in new things and enjoys walking in nature will enjoy this special hiking guide.