Launch of the "Salt Estate" Nature Fund
The Swiss salt works have launched the "Salzgut" nature fund. The fund supports local projects for nature and landscape conservation in the regions where the local salt comes from.
Swiss Saltworks today launched the "Salzgut" nature fund together with various nature and environmental protection associations and representatives of municipalities from the canton of Basel-Landschaft and the canton of Aargau. The nature fund is aimed at non-profit institutions, municipalities and private initiatives in the regions from which the native
Salt originates.
Cooperation between Swiss salt works and environmental protection associations
Köbi Frei, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Swiss Salt Works: "The 'Salzgut' nature fund represents the sustainable and solidarity-based approach of the Swiss Salt Works. It reflects the ecological benefits of domestic salt production back to its origins, so to speak. In this way, we want to express our respect for people and nature beyond our immediate fields of activity."
The "Salzgut" nature fund was created after intensive discussions and in close cooperation between the Swiss Salt Works and various nature and environmental protection associations as well as representatives from municipalities and cantonal authorities.
Local projects to promote biodiversity
The "Salzgut" nature fund acts independently of direct compensation measures in the context of salt extraction. It supports biodiversity-promoting projects in the areas of nature and landscape conservation, forest, water, cultivated land and settlement areas. In addition, environmental education projects can also be entered. Dr. Raffael Ayé, Head of Species Promotion at BirdLife Switzerland and participant in the participatory working group emphasizes:
"The clear distinction between the mandatory compensatory measures and the voluntary measures under the Nature Fund is exemplary, as is the broad-based, participatory approach. We look forward to seeing further projects for the protection and promotion of biodiversity emerge thanks to the 'Salzgut' nature fund."
The focus is on local projects in the communities where the Swiss salt works extract domestic salt. These are currently the municipalities of Pratteln and Muttenz in the canton of Basel-Landschaft, Rheinfelden and Möhlin in the canton of Aargau, and Bex in Vaud. In addition, support is also available for projects in the other regions of northwestern Switzerland (Baselbiet, Fricktal, Dorneck-Thierstein) and in the area surrounding Bex (districts of Aigle, Monthey and St. Maurice).
Project submissions can now be made online via www.salzgut.ch or by email to.
Expert council assesses projects
An expert council consisting of seven to nine technical experts and two representatives of the Swiss salt works decides on the allocation of the contributions. The president of the expert council is the biologist Dr. Benedikt Schmidt. He is a staff member in the amphibian department at info fauna karch and a research group leader and lecturer at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Sciences at the University of Zurich. The office of "Salzgut" is Pan Bern AG, a consulting and service office in the field of planning, environment and sustainable resource use.
Salzgut" is financed by the Swiss salt works, which transfer 1 Swiss franc to the fund for each ton of salt extracted. The distribution key corresponds approximately to the production volumes at the respective sites.
Project entries can now be made online via www.salzgut.ch or by e-mail to info@salzgut.ch.
be
