The landscape of Switzerland is changing, as the example above shows. 1500 image comparisons have been made with different types of landscape changes in Switzerland. These can be viewed on the geoportal of the Swiss Confederation.
Landscape change in images
Swiss land use statistics point by point
Loss of cultivated land in favour of settlements and forests
In the 33 years between 1985 (1979/85) and 2018 (2013/18), 1.1m² of agricultural land (including alpine farming) was lost per second. This corresponds to an area of 1143 km² - about twice the size of Lake Geneva - and a loss of 7%.
New settlement areas, mainly in the lowlands, and newly created shrubbery and forest areas in steep and remote areas, have benefited from this decline.
Statistical sources and concepts
