Ramsar Study Tour to Swiss Ramsar sites, 5-6 February 2000
Alexander Belokurov reports, On 5th and 6th of February a number
of Ramsar Bureau's staff got together with our colleagues from
IUCN and WWF to visit lake Neuchâtel. Some background
information from Tobias Salathé's introduction: "The Champ-
Pittet nature reserve of Pro Natura NGO, conservation education
and visitor centre at the edge of the "Rive sud du lac de
Neuchâtel" Ramsar Site harboring Switzerland's largest reedbed.
Further eastwards, towards the eastern end of the lake, lies
"Fanel and Chablais de Cudrefin" Ramsar Site, the eastern end of
the long-stretched reedbed bordering the lake since its water
level was artificially lowered early in the 20th century, as
part of a large drainage scheme for the peatlands between
Bienne, Neuchâtel and Morat lakes, turning them into
agrobusiness land (sugar beets, maize and the like). The Ramsar
site is a nature reserve." Werner Müller, Director of BirdLife
Switzerland (http://www.birdlife.ch/) and his colle