Politics Federal Council does not want to tighten wolf regulation any further for the time being
The cantons should not be given more powers to authorize the shooting of wolves for the time being. This is the opinion of the Federal Council. It rejects the corresponding plans of the responsible Council of States committee.
28.11.2024, 10:11
SDA
The Environment, Spatial Planning and Energy Committee of the Council of States (Urek-S) is calling for "regionally differentiated population regulation with less bureaucracy" in a motion. In addition, the Federal Council should examine whether the cantons can designate wolf-free zones. This would require a new amendment to the recently amended Hunting Act. The Council of States will be debating this shortly.
The Federal Council rejects the demands, as it writes in its statement on the motion published on Thursday. The amended provisions should take effect before further amendments are considered. "If the objectives of the revised legal basis cannot be achieved, the Federal Council will examine additional measures in due course."
Lowering the protection status
However, the Federal Council is open to downgrading the protection of the wolf under the Bern Convention from "strictly protected" to "protected". Switzerland had already applied for this in 2022 without success.
At the end of September, the EU member states also spoke out in favor of relaxing the protection of wolves. The aim is also to downgrade the status from "strictly protected" to "protected". Switzerland will support this proposal, according to the Federal Council.
However, according to the Federal Council, the Hunting Act, which was revised in December 2022, is compatible with both protection statuses of the wolf. The revision allows the cantons to proactively intervene in wolf populations under certain conditions.
This gives the cantons greater scope for action in terms of regulation and allows them to take action before damage or harmful behavior by wolves occurs. The Federal Council assumes that preventive regulation will make wolves shyer again, as it writes.
