Support areas for Eurasian Skylark and Whinchat
The Graubünden regional office of the Swiss Ornithological Institute has produced new maps based on the national potential maps for grassland birds as well as cantonal data on current agricultural land use. These maps identify the key promotion areas for grassland birds in meadows located in mountain zones I–IV in Graubünden. The aim is to preserve and promote large, contiguous late-mown meadows within these promotion areas as habitats for Whinchat (Saxicola rubetra) and Eurasian Skylark (Alauda arven-sis).
In future, these maps are intended to serve as a basis for defining support areas within projects designed to promote regional biodiversity and landscape quality (PrBL). However, even before such projects are implemented, the maps can be used as a tool for advising ongoing ecological network projects.
The map “Categorization of grassland bird areas in GR” contains detailed information on individual agri-cultural land plots, including the occurrence of grassland birds, management intensity, and the categoriza-tion of grassland bird areas. A second map, “Support areas for grassland birds in GR,” shows only the relevant promotion areas for Whinchat and Skylark.
The current data status corresponds to the state of knowledge on agricultural land use and grassland bird data from 2025. Starting in 2027, the maps are expected to be updated annually around mid-May with the latest agricultural land use and grassland bird data to incorporate new knowledge in a timely manner. Accompanying documentation provides detailed information on how the maps were created and how to use them. Additional facts about grassland birds are compiled in a separate fact sheet.
If you are interested or have any questions or comments, please contact info.gr@vogelwarte.ch.