A restored floodplain landscape along the Inn in the Upper Engadin.
Isla Glischa-Arvins-Seglias Nature Reserve
Isla Glischa-Arvins-Seglias is a protected floodplain landscape along the Inn River in the Upper Engadin, in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. It encompasses one of the largest river floodplain areas in the Engadin valley, including sections of the Inn, its banks, tributaries, and adjacent wetlands. Designated in 1992 as part of the Federal Inventory of Floodplains of National Importance, the reserve covers roughly 87 hectares across the municipalities of Bever, La Punt-Chamues-ch, and Samedan.
The area combines natural river dynamics with restored environments shaped by a long history of flood control and land reclamation. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the Inn and its tributaries were progressively channelized and dammed to protect settlements and expand agricultural land. Since 2013, a major revitalization effort has been underway to give the river room to spread again, recreating natural floodplain habitats and reconnecting side streams.
Today, Isla Glischa-Arvins-Seglias represents an important example of inland floodplain conservation in the Alps. It protects riparian forests, gravel islands, ponds, marshes, and meadows that support diverse wildlife, including waterbirds and amphibians. The reserve stands out as a place where alpine river dynamics, traditional Engadin land use, and modern ecological restoration intersect.
