Naturpark Beverin: Regional Nature Park and Alpine Geography in Graubünden, Switzerland

Planning for what would become Naturpark Beverin began in 2001, when the idea of a regional nature park on the Schamserberg was first proposed. Early efforts quickly revealed that the proposed perimeter was too small and that financing was not yet secure, prompting a shift toward a broader regional development approach. In 2003, the Center da Capricorns project for sustainable regional development was launched on the Schamserberg.

In 2005, the Fundaziùn Capricorn was founded to drive the regional nature park project forward. A core park working group was established in 2006, and the 2007 revision of the Swiss Nature and Heritage Protection Act opened the legal pathway for new parks. An external office of the ZHAW Institute for Environment and Natural Resources was opened at the Center da Capricorns in Wergenstein to guide sustainable tourism and development planning.

By 2009, the park's management plan had been submitted to the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (BAFU) and the project received candidacy status. The Naturpark Beverin association was founded the same year to coordinate further development. In 2011, assembly votes across all the involved communities showed broad support for the park, and the Beverin Charter was submitted to BAFU in 2012. The park received its national label in 2013, marking the start of its first operating phase.

Further development came through the 2015 founding of the Association of Graubünden Parks, which strengthened joint work among the canton's parks. The park boundary was extended in 2016 with the merger creating the municipality of Safiental, reaching into the Rheinschlucht, and again in 2020 when Rheinwald joined after the dissolution of the Parc Adula national park project. A vote on the second operating phase was held in 2021, and the second phase officially began in 2023, running through 2032.

Naturpark Beverin occupies a striking vertical slice of the eastern Central Alps. Elevations from roughly 600 meters in the river valleys up to about 3200 meters on the alpine ridges create layered landscapes that range from deeply carved river gorges to high pastures, rock faces, mountain lakes, and peatlands.

Three gorges define the character of the park's river systems. The Viamala and the Roflaschlucht both cut through the Hinterrhein valley, while the Ruinaulta, often called the Rheinschlucht or Swiss Grand Canyon, lies along the Vorderrhein. These gorges contrast sharply with the more open alpine plateaus, broad side valleys, and the high-elevation Massif of Piz Beverin that gives the park its name.

Human-shaped landscape features are equally prominent. Centuries of grazing and hay-making have produced a mosaic of meadows, dry pastures and forest pastures, while the two major passes of Splügen and San Bernardino have shaped transit corridors through the mountains since Roman times. The old Bernardino pass road, first paved in 1823 and now the A13 motorway, runs through the park as a north-south alpine artery.

The park supports a wide spectrum of habitats because of its strong altitudinal gradient and its mix of wet and dry environments. Alpine limestone landscapes with mountain lakes and peatlands sit alongside drier valley slopes and lush river and floodplain systems along the Hinterrhein and Vorderrhein. Cultivated landscapes of long standing, including species-rich dry meadows and pastures as well as forest grazing, contribute significantly to biodiversity.

Dry meadows and pastures of national importance, hay meadows, and uncut border strips form an important habitat mosaic, particularly on the high plateau above Muntogna da Schons, where populations of the otherwise declining Eurasian skylark remain unusually dense. Wetland habitats along the rivers and in the Rheinschlucht provide key conditions for specialized species, including the river lapwing and the common sandpiper, as well as rare plants such as swollen scorpion moss and chestnut-brown rush.

Forest zones, subalpine shrublands, and high alpine pastures make up the vertical sequence of habitats. Mountain forests, open rock and scree slopes, and alpine grasslands combine to support a broad range of plants, fungi, insects such as grasshoppers and butterflies, and the many larger mammals and birds for which the park is known.

Naturpark Beverin hosts a notably rich alpine fauna, anchored by the Beverin hunting reserve, established in 1886 at the park's core. The area became internationally recognized when ibex, extinct in the region in the nineteenth century, were reintroduced in 1954. The current Safien-Rheinwald colony numbers around 400 ibex, and the ibex, known as Capricorn in the local Sutsilvan idiom, has become the park's emblem.

Beyond ibex, the park's ungulate communities include red deer, chamois, and roe deer. Predators and scavengers are also present, with wolves and lynx occurring in the area, alongside golden eagles and, more rarely, bearded vultures and seasonal griffon vultures. Marmots, mountain hares and European hares inhabit the open slopes, while reptiles such as the asp viper and grass snake occupy lower, warmer terrain.

Birdlife is particularly varied. Alongside the dense skylark populations noted above, grouse species including ptarmigan, capercaillie and black grouse breed in the park, together with whinchats, wrynecks, red-backed shrikes, and the corncrake. Insect diversity is also a focus of conservation work, with targeted efforts to maintain habitats for grasshoppers and butterflies across dry meadows and pastures.

Naturpark Beverin plays a significant role in protecting a vertically layered, ecologically diverse section of the eastern Swiss Alps. Its conservation framework rests on three pillars: long-standing habitat protection, targeted species conservation, and the maintenance of traditional cultural landscapes that support biodiversity.

At the heart of the system is the 31.52 square kilometer Beverin hunting reserve, the second-oldest protected area in the canton of Graubünden and home to one of Switzerland's most important ibex populations. The park actively supports threatened species such as the Eurasian skylark, rare bat species including the alpine long-eared bat, and specialized river-gorge birds and plants in the Ruinaulta. Measures include keeping dry meadows and pastures open, preserving uncut border strips for ground-nesting birds, and managing habitats for grasshoppers and butterflies.

Beyond species-level work, the park links conservation to regional development, sustainable energy, and education. Its programs promote local renewable resources, including hydropower and the world's first solar-powered ski lift at Tenna, while education for sustainable development initiatives engage residents and visitors in habitat stewardship and volunteer work parties.

The cultural fabric of Naturpark Beverin is defined by two distinct alpine settlement traditions. In the Val Schons, the local population speaks the Sutsilvan idiom, the smallest of the five Romansh varieties, and lives in compact Romanesque villages. The parish church of St. Martin in Zillis, famous for its painted Romanesque ceiling from the early twelfth century, stands as one of the canton's most important medieval art treasures.

In the Rheinwald, Tschappina and Safiental valleys, the cultural identity is Walser, the descendants of medieval settlers from Valais. Walser villages are characterized by dispersed hamlets and traditional shingle-roofed buildings, and organizations such as the Safier Ställe association maintain these structures by fitting new shingle roofs on historic stables. The Reformed Church of Tenna, with nationally significant wall paintings, is another highlight of Walser heritage within the park.

Mining has shaped parts of the territory for centuries. The Val Schons and Val Ferrera hosted ore mining at twenty-four historical sites and were once among the canton's most important mining districts. Today, quarrying of Andeer granite remains part of the regional economy, while exhibitions in Innerferrera and Wergenstein link visitors to this layered industrial and cultural past.

Naturpark Beverin's highlights lie in the contrast between high-alpine massifs, deeply carved gorges, and a strongly rooted alpine cultural landscape. The towering Piz Beverin massif and the dramatic Hinterrhein and Vorderrhein gorges of Viamala, Roflaschlucht, and Ruinaulta anchor the park's visual identity. Hiking routes such as the Via Spluga, Via Capricorn, and the Walserweg Safiental traversing the park link these natural landmarks with its two distinct cultural regions. The Beverin hunting reserve, with one of Switzerland's largest ibex populations, gives the park a powerful ecological symbol, while the Center da Capricorns in Wergenstein ties research, education and visitor experiences around this flagship species. Notable cultural stops include the Romanesque painted ceiling at St. Martin in Zillis, the Walser settlement heritage of the Safiental, and the historic mining landscape of Val Schons and Val Ferrera.

Naturpark Beverin offers clearly different seasonal experiences shaped by its alpine elevation range. Summer and early autumn are the most rewarding periods for hiking, with extensive trail networks across the long-distance Via Spluga, Via Capricorn, and Walserweg, dry meadow blooms, and warm conditions in the lower valleys and gorges. Winter transforms the park into a quieter landscape of ski tours, winter hiking, snowshoe routes, cross-country skiing, sledding, and small ski areas at Splügen-Tambo, Tschappina and the solar-powered lift in Tenna. Spring is a season of strong contrasts, with snow lingering at higher elevations while valley meadows and the Ruinaulta gorge begin to fill with early-season visitors and breeding bird activity.