Projects at the research group Vegetation Ecology
Reference projects
Biodiversity changes in the Swiss flora and vegetation
The loss of biodiversity in Switzerland is serious overall, but it is not clear in detail which aspects of species diversity have changed and how, nor what role various drivers play in this. With various projects and numerous student theses, our research group is one of the leading players in Switzerland and internationally in improving the state of knowledge. In the SquareFoot project, we used around 600 historical vegetation records from grasslands dating from 1870 to 1930 to address this question by repeating surveys after a long period of time and across the whole country. In the VegCHange project, we are broadening the perspective to include all habitats in Switzerland, all time periods since 1900, and, in addition to vascular plants, also bryophytes, lichens and charophytes, using a variety of data sources in combination with modern statistical methods.
Funding: Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)
Project duration: 2021–2025 and 2025-2029
More information: SquareFoot, VegCHange
Valorisation of Swiss vegetation-plot data
The pilot project has three work packages:
- Pilot study for a modern data-driven classification of the grassland alliances of Switzerland
- Developing tools and workflows for a comprehensive Swiss National Vegetation-Plot Database in cooperation with Info Flora and embedded in the European Vegetation Archive (EVA) and the global database sPlot
- Contributions to the development of the Ecological Indicator Values of Europe (EIVE)
Funding: ZHAW
Project duration: 2018 – 2019
Ecological improvement of forest edges
The Swiss Plateau alone houses 25,500 km of forest edge; like all transitional biotopes, these areas can be extremely species-diverse and ecologically valuable, but their potential has been greatly under-utilised to date. The aim of the projects is to create practical aids and GIS priviosiums tailored to the needs of the cantons for the ecological upgrading of forest edges.
Project partner: FOEN, cantons
Client: FOEN, cantons
Project duration: 2020
More information: Project website
Conservation biology of glacial erratic flora
Certain species of ferns, mosses and lichens are only found on glacial erratics in the Swiss Plateau and Jura, and this biogeographically unique flora is at risk of extinction. The aim of this project is to find ways of preventing this loss, since the glacial erratics and their unique flora are a valuable natural legacy of the ice ages.
Project partner: Pro Natura und WSL
Client: Dissertation
Project duration: 2015 – 2020
More information: Project website
All projects
-
VegCHange: A toolbox to investigate anthropogenic changes in the Swiss flora and vegetation
The project "VegCHange: A toolbox to investigate anthropogenic changes in the Swiss flora and vegetation" is part of the National Research Program "Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services" (NRP 82). It aims at quantifying the changes in the flora and vegetation of Switzerland by combining extensive,…
current, 11/2025 - 10/2029
-
VegChangeCH – A comprehensive picture of anthropogenic changes in the vegetation of Switzerland
Preparatory Phase Proposal for the Project "VegChangeCH – A comprehensive picture of anthropogenic changes in the vegetation of Switzerland"
expired, 08/2024 - 01/2025
-
Epochal changes of grassland diversity in Switzerland: The Square Foot Project
The grasslands of Central Europe are habitats of great ecological and economic importance whose biodiversity has declined drastically due to human influence. Using a globally unique dataset of historical vegetation records, the Square Foot Project aims to quantify this transformation over more than…
expired, 01/2021 - 04/2025
-
More than hay
The general aim of this and future projects is to consolidate the knowledge on the application of direct greening methods on green roofs namely to adapt typical ecological restoration procedures to urban ecological design and praxis. Specific aims of this project are: 1) to set up of a first…
expired, 01/2019 - 12/2019
-
Mobile tool for the evaluation of forest edges – Digital Transformation
Mobile Valuation Key implemented as mobile app
expired, 10/2017 - 06/2020
-
Conservation biology of cryptogam communities on erratic boulders in the Swiss Plateau and Jura Mountains
Pleistocene erratic boulders sometimes harbour exclusive rock-dwelling cryptogams (bryophytes, ferns and lichens) and thereby contribute to the biodiversity of landscapes. This is especially the case where erratic boulders constitute the only natural rock habitats or where the chemical composition…
expired, 05/2015 - 10/2022
-
Digital Grass Identification
Preliminary project for the "iGräser App", concept development, algorithm determination, accompaniment
expired, 06/2010 - 07/2011
-
Clonal diversity of Brachypodium pinnatum in Swiss National Park
current, 02/2010 - 12/2029