Environment Biodiversity initiative is rejected with 63% voting no
In Switzerland, there are neither stricter requirements nor additional efforts to promote biodiversity. According to a projection by gfs.bern on behalf of SRG, the biodiversity initiative was rejected by 63%.
Those who went to the polls did not consider the problem of biodiversity to be as urgent, said Lukas Golder from the gfs.bern research institute on Swiss television SRF on Sunday. The margin of error for the extrapolation is plus-minus 2 percentage points.
The cantons of Glarus and Nidwalden, which have already counted their votes, say no, Glarus with 66 and Nidwalden with 76 percent of no votes.
The No to the biodiversity initiative comes as no surprise. In the most recent polls commissioned by SRG and Tamedia/"20 Minuten", No votes of 51% and 56% respectively were expected. Compared to the previously published polls, approval decreased.
No commitment to more protection
When it comes to promoting biodiversity, the efforts made to date have not yet achieved the goals set. These include conservation inventories and financial support. The Federal Council would have liked an indirect counter-proposal to the initiative, but this failed in parliament.
The initiative "For the future of our nature and landscape (biodiversity initiative)" aimed to oblige the federal government and cantons to do more to protect biodiversity, landscape and architectural heritage. It called for more land and more public funding for biodiversity. No figures were given.
Opponents argued that the additional promotion of biodiversity would severely restrict food production. 30 percent of the land area would become practically untouchable. This figure was clearly the initiators' target, even if the initiative did not contain any figures.
According to the opponents, electricity production using renewable energies would also be affected, as would the forestry and timber industry and the use of mountain areas for tourism. The SVP, FDP and Center Party were active in the No committee.
"Protect what we need"
The initiative committee ran its campaign under the slogan "Protect what we need". It argued that a diverse natural environment is a prerequisite for clean water, fertile soil, pollination of plants and healthy food.
Beautiful and intact landscapes are part of our home in Switzerland and also have benefits for tourism. Biodiversity is under threat. It was urgent to do more than the federal government and cantons were planning.
According to the initiators, there are several reasons why biodiversity is dwindling: the draining of wetlands, the damming of bodies of water, the intensive cultivation and fertilization of soils, invasive plants and animals and too few resources for the maintenance of protected areas.
The initiative was backed by around seventy national and more than 350 cantonal organizations from the fields of nature conservation, environmental protection, agriculture, fisheries, Swiss parks and landscape conservation. The SP, Greens and GLP supported the initiative.
SDA
