Ferruginous Duck, Partridge and Great Crested Grebe now under protection

The motion Engler "Coexistence of wolf and mountain population", adopted by parliament in 2015, demands a revision of the hunting law so that in the future wolf populations can be regulated within the framework of the Bern Convention.

In implementation of this motion, regulatory interventions in populations of not only the wolf but also other conflict-prone protected species should be possible in the future if, despite reasonable preventive measures, the occurrence of major damage or the concrete endangerment of humans is imminent.

Clarification of hunting authorization and examination

The revised law also aims to clarify the relationship between hunting permits and hunting examinations. The hunting license enables hunting to be practiced in a canton; its issuance remains the responsibility of the cantons. A prerequisite for this in all cantons is a successful hunting examination, for which the federal government will in future specify the examination areas of species and habitat protection, animal protection and handling of weapons, including marksmanship. These cantonal hunting examinations, which are standardized in terms of content, are to be mutually recognized by the cantons in the future.

Huntable species and closed seasons adapted

Finally, the provisions on huntable species and their closed seasons, which were amended in 2012 with a revision of the Hunting Ordinance, will be transferred to the law and supplemented: the moor duck, the partridge and the great crested grebe will now be protected in the law.

It also seeks to declare the rook huntable, shorten the closed seasons of the wild boar and cormorant, and grant closed seasons to all native species.

The handling of non-native species is also to be newly regulated. For example, fallow deer, sika and mouflon, which were previously granted a closed season, are to be huntable all year round in future, based on the strategy for combating invasive alien species adopted by the Federal Council on May 18, 2016.

The Federal Council opened the consultation on the revised Hunting Act on August 24, 2016. It will last until November 30, 2016.

Source: Confederation