Pfad der Pioniere 8: Artenvielfalt

In the natural forest reserve, there is more dead and old wood than in an average Swiss forest. As natural antagonists of the bark beetle, for example, the beneficial insects prevent its mass reproduction.

The capercaillie: 

Capercaillie roam the Crap Furò Nature Reserve. Here, the rare birds find ideal living conditions. The conifers and shrubs offer the capercaillie protection from predators.  They use structures such as lying dead wood as a cover from the weather and as a place to rest and sleep. In summer, they feed on berries and herbs in the lush plant layer of the open forest. In winter, they live mainly on trees and eat needles. 

The main threats are human disturbance and habitat loss due to changes in forest management. There are still about 500 pairs of capercaillie living in Switzerland, a third of them in the canton of Graubünden. for their protection, the natural forest reserves are not allowed to leave the paths during the winter months.