Grand Council BE Grand Council allocates money for nature parks and Unesco World Heritage Site

The Canton of Bern will continue to support its regional nature parks and the Jungfrau-Aletsch UNESCO World Heritage Site in the coming years. On Tuesday, the Grand Council unanimously approved a framework credit of CHF 7.478 million.

The amount of the credit is based on the experience of recent years, the planned range of services offered by the parks and the legal and financial requirements of the federal government and canton, as the cantonal government wrote in its presentation. The Chasseral Nature Park will also be expanded by a total of eight municipalities, which corresponds to a 14 percent increase in park area.

Thanks to the financial aid, the nature parks will be able to continue their work. According to the canton, the promotion of regional nature parks is an important instrument of the cantonal strategy for the sustainable development of rural regions. All parks are located in economically underdeveloped areas.

The canton currently has five federally recognized parks of national importance: the Diemtigtal Regional Nature Park and the Chasseral, Gantrisch, Doubs and Gruyère Pays-d'Enhaut Regional Nature Parks, which span several cantons.

All parks and World Heritage Sites in Switzerland are largely financed by the public sector. The federal government contributes an average of 45 percent, making it the largest contributor.

SDA