BiodiverCity

Have you ever thought about the impact you have on the environment when you go swimming? Alexis Pochelon from the Association for the Protection of Lake Geneva shares tips on how to swim while respecting the lake’s wildlife and plants.

Do you want to put up a birdhouse at home but aren’t sure how to go about it? Géraldine Gavillet shares some simple tips — from orientation and height to the best installation period, she covers all the little tricks to keep in mind.

Do you want to create a little green corner at home? To grow some vegetables and herbs on your balcony? Tiziana Moro, passionate about permaculture, shares great tips for setting up a balcony garden — from repurposing containers and finding ways to nourish the soil to choosing heritage plant varieties.

Bees and other pollinators play a vital role in our ecosystems, but their habitats are collapsing. In Geneva, even a simple balcony can become a nourishing stopover for them. Together with Lara, a 31-year-old biologist, we discover which local flowers support these insects and how everyone can help protect wild bees.

This short feature raises awareness about the importance of pollinators in maintaining ecosystem balance and shows how each of us can contribute to creating green corridors that support biodiversity in urban environments.

Water attracts life. In Geneva, residents and local associations are helping create urban ponds: small wetland areas where frogs, dragonflies, birds, and aquatic plants can thrive together. This short feature shows how these micro-ecosystems are being restored thanks to citizens who are learning to preserve water rather than simply drain it away.

The capsule highlights how urban biodiversity can be strengthened through nature-based solutions and demonstrates how local communities can play an active role in restoring habitats and supporting wildlife in the city.

Every spring, the shores of Lake Geneva transform into an open-air nursery. At places such as the Bains des Pâquis and Parc de la Perle du Lac, swans, mallards, and moorhens build their nests along the waterfront, often just a few steps away from passersby.

Over the weeks, visitors can observe the entire nesting cycle: nest building, egg laying, incubation, and hatching, followed by the growth of cygnets and ducklings as they learn to swim and forage. But how can we make sure we do not disturb them?

Together with a young ornithologist, we witness these intimate moments of wildlife and explore the threats they face. This short feature raises awareness about respectful coexistence with urban wildlife and shows that, sometimes, simply leaving nature undisturbed is already a meaningful action.