Emerald Trails - Mendrisiotto Turismo

Lago
di Lugano
San Gottardo
Lugano
Emerald Trails
Valle della Motta nature park | Stage 3
Gottardo
Discovering the nature,
culture and flavour
of the Mendrisiotto region
Biasca
Pugerna
Cantone
Ticino
Locarno
Bellinzona
Sighignola
9
Arogno
10
Lugano
Bissone
Varese
Lago
di Lugano
Mendrisio
Chiasso
Como
Mendrisiotto
e Basso Ceresio
9
Maroggia
Rovio
Brusino Arsizio
Melano
“Sentiero Smeraldo” (Emerald Trails) is a project of the WWF and the
Tourist office of the Mendrisiotto and
Basso Ceresio region.
Its goal is to help hikers discover the
region’s species and habitats.
A WWF study established that this
area is one of the three richest areas
in the Canton of Ticino, as far as
Emerald sites are concerned. Along
the Emerald Trails you will enjoy numerous Emerald habitats and, with
a little luck, come across species of
continental importance!
If you want to learn more about Emerald species and habitats or need
further information on the Emerald
project, please visit our site:
www.wwf-si.ch/smeraldo
Scientific studies and educational
tools can be downloaded directly
from the site and many interesting
tips for your outdoor activities are
waiting for you.
Vinyards of the Mendrisiotto
Stabio
3
6 Cabbio – Prabello – Cabbio
7 Cabbio – Bellavista
8a Bellavista – Mendrisio
9 Arogno – Caprino – Lugano
Somazzo
Rancate
Campora
3 Laveggio – Colombera
4 Parco Valle della Motta
5 Parco Gole della Breggia
6 Monte Bisbino
5/6
7 Sasso Gordona
6
Sasso Gordona | Stage 6
5
Morbio Inf.
Balerna
Seseglio
Vacallo
Bruzella mill
Gole della Breggia nature park | Stage 4
Chiasso
Pedrinate
Como
Milano
Lago
di Como
Ursus spelaeus
WWF’s tips for hikers
5 Morbio Sup. Sagno
4
4
10 Sighignola
Monte Bisbino
Coldrerio
Genestrerio
9 Monte S. Agata
Caneggio
Mendrisio
Novazzano
Varese
Malpensa
Wet areas
Bruzella
Castel S.Pietro
3
2 Pre Murin
Casima
Salorino
Ligornetto
5 Sagno – Cabbio
8 Bellavista – Arogno
1
2
S.Pietro
Dry meadows
7 6
Cabbio
Monte
S.Nicolao
Tremona
4 Balerna – Sagno
1 Monte San Giorgio
8 Monte Generoso
Arzo
3 Stabio – Balerna
Monte San Giorgio | Stage 1
Muggio
Capolago
Poncione d’Arzo
Besazio
7
Forests
Sasso Gordona
8a
Meride
Emerald Trails stages
Roncapiano
Bellavista
Cragno
2 Serpiano – Stabio
Ammonite
8
1
Riva S.Vitale
1 Mendrisio – Serpiano
Ticinosuchus ferox
Scudellate
Monte S.Giorgio
2
Cantine di Caprino | Stage 9
Main Emerald habitats
Monte Generoso
Colombera biotope | Stage 3
Serpiano
Monte Generoso | Stage 7
8
Hikers should purchase a map at
the scale of 1:25’000 and plan each
stage of the trail they intend to walk
carefully. Wear light but sturdy hiking apparel and equipment (hiking
or backpacking shoes, rain jackets,
binoculars...), carry with you a small
supply of water and food.
We also suggest you taste local and
possibly organic food at restaurants
and inns along the trails.
Please note: littering is not allowed,
nor is the collection of flowers, plants,
and rocks.
The quiet of these natural habitats
must not be disturbed, and hikers
should not leave the marked trails.
Even if they know the area well, leaving these trails is likely to disturb the
local fauna and flora.
Useful links
Valle di Muggio region
www.valledimuggio.ch
Monte San Giorgio
www.montesangiorgio.ch
Monte Generoso
www.montegeneroso.ch
Gole della Breggia park
www.parcobreggia.ch
Graphic:
ETMBC
Drawings:
Alberto Conelli
Emerald project
A European network for threatened
animals, plants, and habitats
Wet ash-alder woods (Fraxinion),
wet white-willow forests (Salicion albae), Molinia meadows, calcareous
fens with Cladium mariscus...
Predominantly wet areas with high
biodiversity value containing several
Emerald species, among which the
brook lamprey (Lampetra planeri),
the Italian crested newt (Triturus
carnifex), the Italian agile frog (Rana
latastei), and the white-clawed cray- White-clawed crayfish
(Austropotamobius pallipes)
fish (Austropotamobius pallipes).
Mostly nocturnal, it shelters among
rocks and roots.
Lives in brooks where its presence
is an indicator of a high ecological
status.
Wryneck (Jynx torquilla)
In case of danger it can turn his neck
all the way around emitting strong
whistling sounds.
Feeds on ants and lives in orchards,
vineyards, hedgerows and sparse
woodland.
Italian agile frog (Rana latastei)
The Latastei frog can easily be recognized by the white bands leading
from the mouth’s corners to the
eyes.
In Switzerland it can only be found in
the Mendrisiotto area. It lives in lowland broad-leaved forests by water
bodies.
www.wwf-si.ch
www.mendrisiottotourism.ch
European pond turtle
(Emys orbicularis)
It’s the only turtle species autochthonous to Switzerland.
Formerly thought to be extinct from
Ticino, it was recently seen in Mendrisiotto. Lives in still vegetation-rich
waters.
Acidophilous beech forests with
yellow woodrush (Luzulo-Fagenion)
This spectacular forest is dominated
by beech trees. It presents little or
no undergrowth due to the dense
litter covering the forest floor. Beech
forests occupy most of the mountain slopes, except where the soil is
either too wet or too dry, or where
the slopes are unstable.
In these areas most Emerald sites
are found, such as the southernalpine hop hornbeam and manna
ash forests (Orno-Ostryon), oak and
hornbeam woods (Carpinion), Lunario-Acerion forests of slopes, screes
and ravines, and mixed thermophilic
linden woods on detritic soil (Tilion
platyphylli).
Ente Turistico
del Mendrisiotto e Basso Ceresio
Dry meadows
Low-yield Graminaceae and Leguminosae meadows, found on permeable, dry, sun-facing soil.
Very biologically diverse, dry meadows often form a patchy, mosaic
landscape with southern-alpine hop
hornbeam and manna ash forests
(Orno-Ostryon).
Via L. Lavizzari 2 | CH - 6850 Mendrisio
T +41 91 641 30 50 | F +41 91 641 30 59
Horseshoe bat
(Rhinolophus ferrumequinum)
Large bat. Its name comes from
the horseshoe-shaped nose ‘leaf’,
used as part of the bat’s echolocation system it relies on to navigate
and to detect its insect prey.
Lives in farmland areas, floodplains
and on the margins of wooded areas.
info@mendrisiottotourism.ch
www.mendrisiottotourism.ch
www.wwf.ch
www.wwf-si.ch
www.wwf.ch/smeraldo
Stag beetle (Lucanus cervus)
Large beetle, whose name is deThe Emerald network aims at the no less than 74 Emerald species The WWF Svizzera Italiana supports rived from the large and distinctilong-term conservation of the Eu- are present (eg: the European pond the regional Emerald network with ve mandibles found on the males,
ropean natural heritage, so that the turtle, the Italian agile frog, the brook specific projects and management which bear some resemblance with
future generations will still be able lamprey, the Italian crested newt, plans of Emerald species and sites. stag antlers.
Lives among old trees and dead
to enjoy it. Emerald is the equivalent the green woodpecker) as well as
of the “Natura 2000” network in the 34 Emerald habitats (eg: acidophi- Before discovering the Emerald trai- wood in broad-leaved woodland.
states that do not belong to the Eu- lous beech forests, oak and horn- ls, please take some time to visit the
ropean Union.
beam woods, wet white-willow fo- site of the Mendrisiotto tourist office:
(more at: www.wwf-si.ch/smeraldo ) rests, dry meadows...)
www.mendrisiottotourism.ch
The Federal Office for the Environ- The site contains very detailed “teWith the Emerald project Switzer- ment (FOEN) enlisted 6 areas in chnical cards” that will help you plan
land is actively contributing to the the Canton of Ticino in the national your itinerary. For each stage you
European network of “priority areas Emerald network catalogue: the will find useful pieces of information:
for the conservation of threatened Colombera wetland (in the munici- stage completion times, accommohabitats and species”. Switzerland palities of Genestrerio, Ligornetto, dation and food, places and things
does indeed play an important ro- and Stabio); the marshland of the to see, and most importantly, prinle in this regard as many Emerald Magadino Plain; the floodplains of table trail maps that will guide you
habitats and species are located in the rivers Maggia and Tresa, Mount along the way.
its territory, mostly in the Alps. The Generoso and Mount Gesero-Cacanton of Ticino is especially rich: moghè.
Euplagia (= Callimorpha)
quadripunctaria
Can be observed during the summer feeding on inflorescences of
Angelica, Centaurea, water hemp,
thorn, thistle etc...
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Ra
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Ca
Ae
Air
Pa
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1P
2C
3P
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