A cross-border coalition of alpine regions, covering four countries, has thrown its weight behind a move to downgrade the protected status of wolves. The Association of Alpine States (Arge Alp) has called on the European Union to review wolf conservation measures.
This content was published on
2 minutes
swissinfo.ch/mga
Whilst Switzerland is not in the EU, some Swiss cantons also belong to Arge AlpExternal link that is also made up of regions in Germany, Austria and Italy. Whatever decisions are taken by the EU with regards to protection of the migratory predators would have an impact in Switzerland.
Arge Alp argues that wolves no longer need special protected status as numbers have risen to around 600 in the alps, comprising some 100 packs. At a meeting in canton Graubünden on Friday, the organization also called on better monitoring of the animals as they crossed borders between countries.
Last year, the Swiss government said it wanted to change the wolf’s status from “strictly protected” to “protected”, which could lead to more of the animals being hunted down and killed. The proposal has been approved by one house of parliament and is due to be debated in the other.
The 30-40 wolves living in Switzerland are currently protected under the Council of Europe’s Bern Convention, a binding international legal agreement. Wolves may only be hunted if they kill more than 25 farm animals within a month.
Also on Friday, a German pensioner was acquitted by a Swiss court in canton Valais of killing a wolf known as M63. The court said there was not enough evidence to prove that a bullet from his gun killed the wolf in 2016.
But the man was fined for having an unregistered firearm and for other breaches of hunting regulations.
What do you think Switzerland’s Alain Berset can bring to the Council of Europe?
The former interior minister is to become the first Swiss Secretary General of the Council of Europe – which issues should his five-year term focus on?
How is your country dealing with the return of stolen artifacts?
Western nations like Switzerland often have to deal with the process of recovering or returning looted artifacts which have been illegally imported. What’s the situation like in your country?
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Wolves facing reduced protection status
This content was published on
The Swiss government wants to downgrade the protection status of wolves – which could lead to more of them being hunted down and killed.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.