NESTBOX BEGINNINGS

After the formation of the International Council for Bird Preservation, now BirdLife International, in 1922, founding President Thomas Gilbert Pearson wrote to conservation organizations around the world, including the ala in Switzerland. This has now become the Swiss National Committee for the Protection of Birds BirdLife Switzerlandwith Albert Hess taking on the role of first president.

In Switzerland at the time, there was a widespread appetite for bird protection: in the 1920s and 30s countless local bird protection groups were formed, dedicated to the installation and maintenance of nest boxes. Today, BirdLife Switzerland associations are one of the most important forces for nature conservation in Switzerland. The local associations carry out nature conservation measures and raise awareness in the communities across the country. They are not only active for birds, but for all biodiversity – and still look after a whopping 232,708 nest boxes, which are visited by house martins, kestrels, barn owls, swifts and alpine swifts and even hoopoes.

“Switzerland is a federal country with strong cantons and important municipalities, which is why BirdLife Switzerland has a rather unique structure. It is part of BirdLife International and at the same time its own network of independent cantonal bird and nature conservation organizations, which in turn build on the local associations in the communities. In this way, national campaigns can be implemented directly on site in the communities, while, conversely, the ideas of the local associations and the needs of the cantonal organizations form a basis for the national activities of BirdLife Switzerland,” says BirdLife Switzerland Raffael Ayé, Director of BirdLife Switzerland .