High-alpine floodplain sanctuary in the heart of the Swiss Alps, preserved from hydroelectric development.
Aue Plaun la Greina
Aue Plaun la Greina is a federally protected alpine floodplain in the High Alps of the Swiss canton of Graubünden, occupying the central portion of the high plateau known as Plaun la Greina. The reserve sits at roughly 2,230 meters elevation along the upper course of the Rein da Sumvitg (Somvixer Rhein), between three major mountain massifs of the Adula Alps near the cantonal boundary with Ticino.
The protected area covers approximately 39 hectares, including the braided river bed, gravel islands, moraine hummocks, alpine wetlands, and surrounding dry meadows. It forms the core of the larger landscape protection area "Greina-Piz Medel" and overlaps with a federal wildlife reserve. In ecological terms, the Greina plateau has been compared to northern tundra landscapes; trees cannot survive at this altitude, and open vegetation patterns including pioneer plant communities, sedges, dwarf shrubs, and lichen mats dominate the terrain.
The reserve is notable as one of the most significant conservation successes in Swiss history. After decades of conflict between the energy industry and conservationists, plans for a high-altitude reservoir that would have flooded the plain were abandoned in the 1990s. Since 1992, the floodplain has been formally protected as a national alluvial area, and since 1996, the surrounding landscape has been included in the Federal Inventory of Landscapes and Natural Monuments.
