Transformation of the famous bird islands of Fanel

The project has restored the famous Fanel Islands to their role as a resting and feeding stopover site for migratory birds, particularly waders. To achieve this objective, work was carried out to lower the level of the two existing islands and significantly reshape their contours to form a single large area at water level. The exposed areas are thus more subject to fluctuations in the water level of Lake Neuchâtel, which allows for a more natural lake ecosystem to develop, curbing the spread of vegetation and maintaining the site naturally.

Having been built too high in their artificial creation, the Fanel Islands were overgrown with dense vegetation, mainly due to a lack of natural lake dynamics. As a result, they had lost their ornithological interest. In light of this, the Grande Cariçaie Association, the Cantons of Bern and Neuchâtel, the Swiss Confederation, ALA Schweiz, Nos Oiseaux, BirdLife and the Swiss Ornithological Institution joined forces to design, fund and carry out this large-scale project. The work took place between August and October 2025, and annual maintenance is planned to preserve the mineral substrate.

Le Fanel, Switzerland’s first Ramsar site and first OROEM reserve, is of exceptional importance for bird conservation in Switzerland. Thanks to the improvements undertaken, areas suitable for stopovers have been restored for waterbirds, particularly waders. As such areas are virtually non-existent along the shores of Lake Neuchâtel, it was crucial to recreate them. A project of this kind is therefore of great significance, as it once again provides a high quality stopover site for waders and other migratory birds seeking rest and food.

The initial results following the works are encouraging. In autumn 2026, a wide variety of migratory birds, including numerous waders, were observed, demonstrating the site’s renewed appeal. These results are based on data from the ornitho.ch platform. We therefore invite all birdwatchers visiting the reserve to continue contributing to the project by reporting their sightings, so that we can assess the effectiveness of the site’s redevelopment.

• Association de la Grande Cariçaie
• Service de la promotion de la nature (SPN), Canton BE
• Service de la faune, des forêts et de la nature - République et canton de Neuchâtel
• ALA Schweiz
• Nos Oiseaux
• BirdLife Bern
• BirdLife Suisse

• OFEV
• Service de la promotion de la nature (SPN), Canton BE
• Service de la faune, des forêts et de la nature - République et canton de Neuchâtel
• ALA Schweiz
• Nos Oiseaux
• BirdLife Bern