Fanes-Sennes-Prags / Fanes-Senes-Braies Nature Park

The Park's habitats

Geology

Geology
Pices Fanes

The Fanes and Sennes highlands are surrounded by mountains that steeply descend at their outside. The rocks in these highlands are anywhere from 190 to 225 million years old, thus making them relatively “young” rocks in geological terms. They are intermingled with Main Dolomite, which forms the mountains that border Val de Mareo valley, the lower portion of the Hl. Kreuzkofel / Sasso della Croce mountains in the West, and the Conturines in the southern portion of the park. Then come the Rhaetian Dachstein limestone and the gray (Jura) limestone, which are key features of the landscape, as are Hohen Gaisl / Croda Rossa mountain, Seekofel / Croda del Beco mountain, the Hl. Kreuzkofel / Sasso della Croce mountains, La Varela mountain and Col Bechëi mountain, which were formed from the white and clearly striated limestone of these two formations. Techtonic deformations that occurred while the Alps were being formed resulted in chaotic bending and squashing of limestone formations in some cases and in formations that resemble amphitheater steps in other cases. In the case of steep stratification across slopes, such as that found in Zehner / Sasso delle Dieci, Neuner / Sasso delle Nove, M. Stiga and Seekofel / Croda del Beco, whole sections of stone have broken off, creating massive clusters of rocks at the foot of the mountain slopes.

At Limosee / Lago di Limo lake and on the southern slopes of the Cima Parom-Sas dai Beć (Gran-Fanes) mountains, Cima Parom-Sas dai Beć (Gran-Fanes) reddish ammonite limestone laced with spiral shaped ammonite is found. Accordion-like gray and reddish lime marl was cut from the path below Faneshütten / Rifugio Fanes refuge. This marl sunk into the older gray limestone owing to tectonic activity. The youngest seabed strata in the Dolomites are found at Col Bechei (2,793 m) above Limosee / Lago di Limo lake. During the Tertiary (Oligocene) period, when the Alp creasing process was in full swing, a final marine transgression in this area left behind breccia, conglomerates, sandstone and lime containing balanids (ostracods), remnants of red algae, bryozoans and formaminfers (chambered microorganisms).

The Fanes, Sennes and Fosses contain more karstic elements than anywhere else in the Dolomites. The carbonic acid dissolved in water attacked and dissolved mainly Dachstein limestone and gray limestones, but also Main Dolomite. The formation of conturines (for example Conturine hollow) was mainly attributable to limestone and Dolomite dissolution in the underground.
Virtually all classic karstic elements are observed here, namely channels, crevices, shafts, and dolines, where (albeit in some cases only periodically) lakes were formed as well as funnel shaped swallow holes that swallowed up brooks. The latter became powerful karstic springs that surfaced further up the valley in water-damming strata, as well as dead-end dry valleys, which bear testimony to the process of surface dewatering that once prevailed here. Karst formation, which is still occurring today, was mainly attributable to the pre-Ice Age warm periods.

Underground dewatering and karst erosion continue to characterize the arid environment of the wind-swept highlands, making the greenish basins where spring water bubbles to the surface and mountain lakes shimmer in the sunlight seem all the more refreshing, like a water garden underneath Grünsees/ Lé Vërt / Lago Verde lake. The water of hundreds of such springs bubbles out of crevices and channels, to the cascades of green Fortinalis below.

When the water level is low, a large funnel shaped swallow hole can often be seen on the northern banks of Piciodel lake (which lacks an outlet) through which the rivulet disappears underground. It does not reappear on the surface until two kilometers further on at Pederü, only to vanish again beneath gravel and rock in Val de Mareo. And it is not until it reaches Kreidesee / Lago di Cresta lake that it re-emerges from 40 springs, making it a unique natural phenomenon.

The Fanes and Sennes highlands are surrounded by mountains that steeply descend at their outside. The rocks in these highlands are anywhere from 190 to 225 million years old, thus making them relatively “young” rocks in geological terms. They are intermingled with Main Dolomite, which forms the mountains that border Val de Mareo valley, the lower portion of the Hl. Kreuzkofel / Sasso della Croce mountains in the West, and the Conturines in the southern portion of the park. Then come the Rhaetian Dachstein limestone and the gray (Jura) limestone, which are key features of the landscape, as are Hohen Gaisl / Croda Rossa mountain, Seekofel / Croda del Beco mountain, the Hl. Kreuzkofel / Sasso della Croce mountains, La Varela mountain and Col Bechëi mountain, which were formed from the white and clearly striated limestone of these two formations.
Techtonic deformations that occurred while the Alps were being formed resulted in chaotic bending and squashing of limestone formations in some cases and in formations that resemble amphitheater steps in other cases. In the case of steep stratification across slopes, such as that found in Zehner / Sasso delle Dieci, Neuner / Sasso delle Nove, M. Stiga and Seekofel / Croda del Beco, whole sections of stone have broken off, creating massive clusters of rocks at the foot of the mountain slopes.

At Limosee / Lago di Limo lake and on the southern slopes of the Cima Parom-Sas dai Beć (Gran-Fanes) mountains, Cima Parom-Sas dai Beć (Gran-Fanes) reddish ammonite limestone laced with spiral shaped ammonite is found. Accordion-like gray and reddish lime marl was cut from the path below Faneshütten / Rifugio Fanes refuge. This marl sunk into the older gray limestone owing to tectonic activity. The youngest seabed strata in the Dolomites are found at Col Bechei (2,793 m) above Limosee / Lago di Limo lake. During the Tertiary (Oligocene) period, when the Alp creasing process was in full swing, a final marine transgression in this area left behind breccia, conglomerates, sandstone and lime containing balanids (ostracods), remnants of red algae, bryozoans and formaminfers (chambered microorganisms).

The Fanes, Sennes and Fosses contain more karstic elements than anywhere else in the Dolomites. The carbonic acid dissolved in water attacked and dissolved mainly Dachstein limestone and gray limestones, but also Main Dolomite. The formation of conturines (for example Conturine hollow) was mainly attributable to limestone and Dolomite dissolution in the underground.
Virtually all classic karstic elements are observed here, namely channels, crevices, shafts, and dolines, where (albeit in some cases only periodically) lakes were formed as well as funnel shaped swallow holes that swallowed up brooks. The latter became powerful karstic springs that surfaced further up the valley in water-damming strata, as well as dead-end dry valleys, which bear testimony to the process of surface dewatering that once prevailed here. Karst formation, which is still occurring today, was mainly attributable to the pre-Ice Age warm periods.

Underground dewatering and karst erosion continue to characterize the arid environment of the wind-swept highlands, making the greenish basins where spring water bubbles to the surface and mountain lakes shimmer in the sunlight seem all the more refreshing, like a water garden underneath Grünsees/ Lé Vërt / Lago Verde lake. The water of hundreds of such springs bubbles out of crevices and channels, to the cascades of green Fortinalis below.

When the water level is low, a large funnel shaped swallow hole can often be seen on the northern banks of Piciodel lake (which lacks an outlet) through which the rivulet disappears underground. It does not reappear on the surface until two kilometers further on at Pederü, only to vanish again beneath gravel and rock in Val de Mareo. And it is not until it reaches Kreidesee / Lago di Cresta lake that it re-emerges from 40 springs, making it a unique natural phenomenon.

Fauna

Fauna
Pine marten

The fauna in Fanes-Sennes-Prags / Fanes-Senes-Braies Nature Park is representative of the fauna found throughout the Dolomites, the salient features here being habitat diversity in tranquil, remote valleys and difficult to access mountain regions. These habitats comprise mixed coniferous forests, extensive plateaus, traditional cultivated Alpine pastures, rough cirques, steep rocks, clear rivulets, swamps and lakes. The vegetation stages range from mountain forests near valleys to rocky regions at altitudes of more than 3,000 meters. It is fascinating to observe how the park’s wildlife has adapted to the karsts and extreme conditions that prevail here.

Inhabitants of the mountain forest

Extensive mixed coniferous forests and the clearings and Larch fields found there are the ideal habitat for deer. Some years ago the red deer returned to the park after having been exterminated in the early 19th century. Deer mainly live in sexually segregated herds and only mingle during the fall mating season, at which time the characteristic sounds of rival males clashing can be heard.

Beginning at dusk foxes, badgers and martens scurry across the forest floor in search of prey and are glimpsed only rarely as they are mainly nocturnal creatures. Squirrels are seen more frequently, as they tirelessly go about the business of storing nuts and seeds for the winter. Likewise often observed in the forest are hazel grouse and wood grouse, which need remote forests with thick undergrowth; any disturbance of their habitat results in a drastic reduction in their population.

At the forest edge

The forest has the greatest amount of woody undergrowth right at the timber line. The higher the altitude, the more knee timber gains the upper hand over the trees. This type of area is also known as a battle zone because the trees are subjected to increasingly harsh conditions and are able to survive only with great effort, until they finally disappear altogether. The black grouse, which is commonly found in sparse knee-timber belts, can be easily differentiated from the capercaillie by virtue of its lyre shaped tail feathers.

Mountain hares, which are found in belts of dwarf shrubs up to the rocky zones, withdrew to the Alps from tundra-like areas at the end of the Ice Age. These animals forage for edible roots and grasses by dislodging the snow. Their long, highly spreadable toes containing stiff hairs enable them to move easily, even in the snow.

Alpine lawns

Marmots are without a doubt the animal that most symbolizes Fanes-Sennes-Prags / Fanes-Senes-Braies Nature Park. Large populations of marmots are found in the rocky and grassy heaths of Fanes and Sennes, as well as in the Plätzwiese / Prato Piazza area, and have adapted perfectly to their high-mountain habitat. Hikers very often catch a glimpse of the animals while ascending a trail, but in such cases you have to be motionless and still lest the “guard” warn the other animals to scamper to safety by emitting a shrill whistling sound. But of course this warning signal mainly serves to alert the marmots to the presence of golden eagles, for whom the marmots are their prey of preference.

Fanes, Sennes/Senes and the Prags / Braies Dolomites are an ideal habitat for chamois, which live alone except during the mating season, at the beginning of winter. The chamois herds that are often seen on grassy cirques in the summer are composed solely of females and the young.

Flora

Flora
Armentarawiesen / Prati Armentara

Rock and soil, together with altitude and microclimates determine flora biodiversity.

Forests

Most of the forests in Fanes-Sennes-Prags / Fanes-Senes-Braies Nature Park consist of spruce trees that extend to altitudes of around 900 to 1,200 meters and that are supplanted by larches and cembra pines the closer you get to the timber line. Scots pines, which are relatively resilient, are found on the dry and gravely slopes of Höhlensteintal / Valle di Landro and Val de Mareo valleys. The relatively sparse mountain forests contain abundant undergrowth whose blueberry, cranberry and Alpine vegetation is attributable to the presence of acidic humus soil. The knee-timber zones that characterize sparse mountain forests often abound in mountain pines, whose up to ten meter long and highly ramified root systems are instrumental in solidifying steep slopes and scree.

Mountain meadows and pastures

Much of Fanes-Sennes-Prags / Fanes-Senes-Braies Nature Park is covered with mountain meadows and pastures comprising extremely biodiverse habitats whose existence is attributable to human use of these areas. Dry zones of extensively used mountain meadows contain arnica, various types of gentian, orchids, meadow bistorts, and golden hawks-beard. If these pastures are grazed too heavily, plant species like hassock and matgrass that are unfazed by being stepped on and are not to the liking of bovines take over.

Alpine meadows and scree

More or less self enclosed pastures or pasture communities occur at altitudes of 2000 to 2800 meters above sea level. The calcareous grasslands of the Dolomites are composed of perennial grasses and evergreen sedge, whereby mountain aven and Carex firma are also common. Likewise widely distributed in the Dolomites are dragonmouth, Achillea oxyloba, globe daisy and in some areas edelweiss. Debris cirques, which often penetrate far into the valley floor, serve as habitats for a number of “specialists” such as yellow Alpine poppy and round-leaved pennycress.

Rock crevices

Only “specialist” flora are able to survive in rock crevices or on bar rocks. These plants include various cushion plants, devil’s claw, edelweiss, cinquefoil, Dolomite androsace, pale corydalis, and bluish green saxifrage.

The human factor

The human factor
Viles Miscì

Gadertal / Val Badia valley

The Hochabtei / Alta Val Badia region, which is indisputably South Tyrol’s tourism capital, attracts countless visitors thanks to its skiing and other winter sport facilities, as well as the hiking and climbing options it offers. The region features a varied man-made and natural landscape which is sometimes shaped by ski lifts, hotels and other accommodations.

Nature park community Wengen / La Valle, which is the only Ladin community without a skia area in the region, has managed to largely retain its original rural character. At the extensive sunny slope there are scattered characteristic Ladin viles, i.e. groups of traditional wooden farmhouses. The Ladins earn their livelihood from farming and crafts and the village offers a more tranquil kind of tourism.

St. Vigil in Enneberg / S. Vigilio di Marebbe has become a major tourist center thanks to a funicular railway and ski runs that link it to Kronplatz / Plan de Corones. In contrast, time seems to have stood still in the traditional hamlets that are scattered above the mountain slopes, as well as in the former main village of Enneberg-Pfarre / La Pli, whose sedate stone constructions bear testimony to their former public purpose. Val de Mareo valley, which passes through St. Vigil and leads to Pederü between rocky cliffs, is the most important gateway to the heart of Fanes-Sennes-Prags / Fanes-Senes-Braies Nature Park.

Pustertal / Val Pusteria valley

The Pusteral / Val Pusteria valley portion of Fanes-Sennes-Prags / Fanes-Senes-Braies Nature Park features both tranquil areas, as well as exciting tourist sites. The sulphur and iron springs of Bad Bergfall / Bagni di Pervalle-Valdaora, which are located at the foot of extensive coniferous forests and arise in bellerophon and quartz phyllite rock strata, were already popular in ancient times. A painting in the Badkapelle chapel lists the following medical indications: “Hip pain, sciatica, arthritis, salty blood, gout, gynaecological disorders .” On the slopes overlooking Welsberg / Monguelfo, on the other hand, the Waldbrunn mineral spring, which arises in quartz phyllite, was also said to promote healing. Long lines of cars roll incessantly through otherwise tranquil Pragerstal / Val di Braies valley during the summer, headed toward Pragser Wildsee / Lago di Braies lake, which, ensconced as it is in an ultra-romantic corrie, is the most impressive lake in the Dolomites and is a kind of landscape “rock star”.

Plätzwiese / Prato Piazza is also extraordinarily beautiful – although at one time it risked falling victim to a level of tourist commotion comparable with that in Seiser Alm / Alpe di Suisi, since skilifts and tennis courts in an area zoned for tourist hotels and the like, and mammoth parking lots were all in the works. But at the last minute the designation as a nature park saved Plätzwiese / Prato Piazza from the ravages of mass tourism.