WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF

Programmes and Initiatives

WSL develops, together with its partners in science, society and the economy, solutions for socially relevant questions, which have a strong focus on implementation and are oriented to practice. WSL’s approach is inter- and transdisciplinary. This often requires close collaboration across the boundaries of organisational units, which is why we set up Programmes (large projects) to work on interdisciplinary issues for a limited period.

Blue-Green Biodiversity

An Eawag-WSL collaboration focusing on Biodiversity at the interface of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.

SwissAIM - new systems for forest inventories

The WSL initiative Advanced Inventorying and Monitoring System for Swiss Forests takes forest monitoring to the next level.

WSL Drought Initiative 2018

The aim of this extraordinary WSL initiative is to quickly answer specific questions arising from the extreme drought of summer 2018.

SwissForestLab

The SwissForestLab is a research platform and infrastructural network in forest research.

EnviDat

EnviDat is the WSL data portal providing unified and managed access to environmental monitoring and research data.

CCAMM - Climate Change and Alpine Mass Movements

The CCAMM research programme investigates the effects of climate change on alpine mass movements.

Climate Change, Extremes and Natural Hazards in Alpine Regions Research Centre CERC

The CERC research centre investigates relevant questions in the fields of climate change, extremes, and natural hazards in Alpine regions.

National Forest Inventory NFI

The NFI has been continually recording the condition and changes in the Swiss forest since 1983.

LWF research plot in Beatenberg (BE). Photo: WSL

Long-term Forest Ecosystem Research (LWF)

We examine the long-term effects of stresses on the forest and identify the risks that are relevant to people.

WSL Landscape Centre

The Landscape Centre pools expertise in landscape research and ensures that the research results are available to all interested parties.

Completed programmes and major projects

Energy Change Impact

The Research Programme supports decision-making related to the implementation of the Swiss Energy Strategy 2050 with research-based information.

Room for people and nature

The interdisciplinary research programme (2013-2016) investigated the influence of urban sprawl on the quality of life and biodiversity.

CCES

The programme was seeking insights to incorporate the principles of sustainable development in national governance (2006-2016).

COST Actions

WSL participation in COST Actions, a european researcher network (2007-2017)

AlpFUTUR

The project AlpFUTUR illuminated perspectives for the future use of the Swiss alpine summer grazing areas.

Research programme Forests and Climate Change

The research programme provides forest professionals with knowledge for decision-making in order to limit the effects of climate change on the forest.