The SNP was founded 100 years ago, is 172 km² and is the largest protected area in Switzerland. The Swiss National Park is the oldest national park in the Alps. According to the International Conservation Union (IUCN), it is a reserve of category I (highest protection class) wilderness area. The Swiss National Park may leave either way, picking flowers, lawns mowed, animals are killed more trees be felled. For hiking, no dogs are allowed entry. Nature is entirely left to itself. It may be altered which achieves nothing for this park.
The extraordinary wealth of Alpine animals such as chamois, deer and marmots are one of the hallmarks of the national park. A variety of alpine plants provide colour along the trails. Numerous hiking trails according to differing degrees of difficulty offers hikers a variety of possibilities.
Animals:
In the National Park live 30 species of mammals and over 100 bird species, of which 60 are a nesting species. Of the more than 5000 invertebrate species, most small crawler and sycophants.
Plants
With more than 650 different species of higher national park is very rich. We present here three typical representatives of alpine plants in the national park. Each plant has its own ecological niche created by the supply of nutrients and the climate is defined. In particular, the high mountains of the plant call for maximum flexibility.
The Edelweiss Leontopodium alpinum were collected in the last 200 years, in vast quantities and at times almost exterminated. The stingy plant occurs naturally in large flocks on a sunny Kalkhängen up to an altitude of 3000 meters. The actual flower is composed of thin tubes that form the inside of the yellow flower head. The star-shaped flowers are formed by the glow weissfilzigen leaves. On the Fuorcla Val dal Botsch growing Rhaetian alpine poppy Papaver rhaeticum surrounded by steep scree fields to 2650 m. This limestone rubble is extremely hostile to life, only a few plants can take root. The long and flexible tap root anchors the plant in the rubble and providing them with water and nutrients. Rhaetian Alps-Eastern Alps, is a typical poppy plant, which only occurs east of the Inn. Many guests ask for a yellow-orange to orange-red plant that blooms in July and August in large numbers, and will be up to 40 cm high. The Eberreiskreuzkraut Senecio abrotanifolius Eastern Alps is a plant that grows only east of the Inn. The plant prefers light Bergföhrenwälder and stony, dry grass.
More information can be found under the link www.nationalpark.ch