In 2016, voters rejected plans for a second national park in the Swiss Alps.
Keystone
The Swiss government has approved plans for a trans-border national park in southern Switzerland.
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The Federal Council has approved an international treaty with Italy, as well as the necessary amendments to park regulations, announced the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC) on Wednesday.
Eight municipalities in the canton of Ticino are planning the new park, which will include an area in neighbouring Italy. Now there will be a referendum where citizens will vote on whether the trans-border project should indeed go ahead.
The Swiss News Agency has reported wide-spread support for the project. The local authorities of all the regions who were involved in the Federal Council’s consultation process voted in favour of protecting the area’s natural habitat by labelling it a “park of national importance”.
In a statement, DETEC said that the federal government recognises the potential of the (inter)national park project and has been supporting it financially since 2011.
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