A rare glacial floodplain and delta where the River Aubonne meets Lake Geneva.
Chanivaz, Delta de l'Aubonne
Chanivaz – Delta de l'Aubonne is a nationally protected landscape along the northern shore of Lake Geneva in the Swiss canton of Vaud, encompassing the mouth of the River Aubonne, its forested floodplain, and the adjacent plain around the hamlet of Chanivaz. The area is recognized as a rare glacial geotope and one of the few remaining large, naturally functioning river mouths on the Swiss side of Lake Geneva. Its federal designations as a Landscape and Natural Monument of National Importance (BLN), a floodplain of national importance, and an amphibian spawning area underline its ecological and geological value.
The protected zone combines a layered geological history with a mosaic of habitats, including riparian forest, reedbeds, marshland, meadows, oak woodland, vineyards, and gravelly lakeshore. Its terrace landscape, shaped by the retreating Rhone glacier during the last ice age, is unusual among Lake Geneva deltas and gives the site strong scientific interest. Together with its preserved cultural traces, ranging from a Roman settlement to medieval roads and the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela, the area represents a layered landscape where natural processes and human history intersect.