Parc Ela ('' Rumantsch'': Ela Park) is a nature park in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It is intended to protect the regional biotope, help to promote its sustainable use and give a boost to an area rich in scenery and national cultural assets, but weak economically. Unlike Switzerland's only national park, which is reserved to nature alone, the Parc Ela covers the settled and cultivated territory of around 21

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

, notably

Tiefencastel Tiefencastel ( rm, Casti) is a village and a former municipality in the district of Albula in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. On 1 January 2015 the former municipalities of Alvaschein, Mon, Stierva, Tiefencastel, Alvaneu, Brienz/ ...

, Bergün,

Savognin Savognin (in local Romansh dialect ''Suagnign''; it, Savognino; german: Schweiningen, official name until 1890) is a village and former municipality in the Sursés in the district of Albula in the canton of Grisons in Switzerland. On 1 January 20 ...

and

Bivio Bivio ( rm, Beiva, german: Stallen) is a village and former municipality in the Sursés in the district of Albula of the Swiss canton of Graubünden. On 1 January 2016 the former municipalities of Bivio, Cunter, Marmorera, Mulegns, Riom-Pars ...

. The park takes its name from

Piz Ela Piz Ela is a mountain in the Albula Alps The Albula Alps are a mountain range in the Alps of eastern Switzerland. They are considered to be part of the Central Eastern Alps, more specifically the Western Rhaetian Alps. They are named after the ...

, the 3,338-metre mountain peak at its center. Marmorera See

The park is organised as a private association of local activists, supported financially by contributions from the local municipalities, the cantons of Graubünden and

Zürich , neighboring_municipalities = Adliswil, Dübendorf, Fällanden, Kilchberg, Maur, Oberengstringen, Opfikon, Regensdorf, Rümlang, Schlieren, Stallikon, Uitikon, Urdorf, Wallisellen, Zollikon , twintowns = Kunming, San Francisco Zürich ...

and the conservation group Pro Natura, as well as by the goodwill of the Swiss federal government. Apart from road signs, visitors can see few actual indications that they are entering a protected area, as the park's activities focus on ecological, cultural, tourist and economical development and cooperation. The park's legal recognition depends on a change in the Swiss law on the protection of nature and the countryside, which as of 2006 remained tied up in parliament due to disputes over whether federal financial support should be mandatory.

See also