Biodiversity initiative: Consultation on counter-proposal opened

The popular initiative submitted on September 8, 2020 by the supporting association "Yes to more nature, landscape and building culture" "For the future of our nature and landscape (Biodiversity Initiative)"demands stronger protection of biodiversity and landscape. With an amendment to the Federal Constitution, the initiative wants to oblige the federal government and now also the cantons to protect and conserve biodiversity and landscape. It demands more funds from the public purse for this purpose.

The Federal Council also wants to protect and promote biological and landscape diversity more strongly, as it is the basis of life and the economy, he said. However, the initiative goes too far because it would considerably restrict the scope of action of the federal government and the cantons, according to the executive. 

More closeness to nature in quantity and quality

The core of the indirect counter-proposal is to anchor 17 percent of the national territory as biodiversity conservation areas in the Nature and Cultural Heritage Protection Act (NHG). The federal government had already oriented itself to this goal in 2012 in its Swiss Biodiversity Strategy. Currently, the proportion of these protected areas in Switzerland is 13.4 percent. By enshrining the 17 percent target in law, the Federal Council is strengthening its mandate to secure the necessary area for biodiversity in all parts of the country and for all habitat types. This can be achieved, for example, by supplementing and expanding regional and local biotopes or by expanding forest reserves, which has already been initiated.

However, land alone is not enough to maintain and promote biodiversity and thus its services for the economy and society in the long term. The quality of these areas must be right in order to meet the needs of the species and stop their loss. The indirect counter-proposal, in cooperation with the cantons, aims to promote better protection and stronger networking of habitats for wildlife and to boost ecological balance in settlement areas. In concrete terms, this means, for example, that areas designed to be close to nature, such as green spaces and water bodies, urban forests, water areas or green roofs and facades, should be created. More proximity to nature is valuable for biodiversity and the population.

Finally, the Federal Council wants to promote the beauty and attractiveness of Swiss settlements and landscapes with a comprehensive building culture. This requires the high-quality and sustainable further development of the existing settlement area and a qualitatively good design of the landscape. In order to achieve this goal, a high quality building culture should be anchored in law with the counter-proposal. Today, the cantons are obliged by ordinance to take the federal inventories into account in their planning. In the future, this provision would be anchored in law, thus strengthening legal certainty, the Federal Council's media release concludes.

The consultation on the indirect counter-proposal to the biodiversity initiative will last until July 9, 2021.

 Source: Confederation

Explanatory report concerning the NHG revision 

NHG revision