The fauna in the wetlands in the low-lying areas of the valley is much more endangered than the dwellers of the mid-range and high altitudes. In order to preserve the last remnants of these marshes, the Government ordered the protection of two of the larger wetlands: Schwabbrünnen (50 hectares) and Ruggeller Riet (90 hectares). Wet meadows are among the habitats with the widest range of species, so the fauna in these areas is extremely varied.

In the Ruggeller Riet (96 hectares of nature preserve), for example, 408 species of beetles have been found, which corresponds to 7% of the Swiss and 5% of the Central European beetle fauna. But also 82 species of spiders have been documented, including 5 species that otherwise are only known to exist in a few isolated places in the middle of Central Europe. The Ruggeller Riet is also of great significance with respect to bird species. The globally endangered corncrake still calls here, and quail, whinchats, corn buntings, and grasshopper warblers can also be found, in addition to about 30 other species of breeding birds. These numbers cannot hide the fact, however, that many wetland species in Liechtenstein have become extinct over the past 20 years, such as the Eurasian curlew and the common snipe.

View of the Ruggeller Riet nature preserve