Swiss government criticised for delay in insect protection
Birdlife criticises postponement of insect protection.
Keystone-SDA
Select your language
Generated with artificial intelligence.
Listening: Swiss government criticised for delay in insect protection
Five years after the House of Representative's Environment Committee voted in favour of better protection for insects, Swiss NGO Birdlife has criticised the government's hesitant action. The loss of valuable habitats continues, it says.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA
Français
fr
Birdlife critique l’ajournement de la protection des insectes
Original
Five years ago, the House of Representative’s Environment Committee tabled a motion to preserve the diversity of insect populations, recalls Birdlife. The government recognised the need for action in this area. The House of Representative and the Senate approved this and other insect-friendly motions.
The Environment Committee also acted on a petition signed by 165,000 people against the disappearance of these animals. According to Birdlife, parliament has asked the government to tackle the problem. However, nothing has been done, says the bird protection organisation.
The government kept referring to other political dossiers, first to the agricultural policy from 2022 (PA22+), then to the indirect counter-proposal to the biodiversity initiative, rejected by parliament. Now it’s the PA30+ and the Biodiversity Action Plan that should remedy the problem.
However, according to scientists, the insect population depends on a rapid and targeted rescue plan, points out Birdlife. The situation is critical: the diversity and size of insect populations have declined sharply, especially on the plateau.
The decline is also continuing in the Jura and Alps. Overall, almost 60% of insect species are threatened or potentially threatened in Switzerland; 59 wild bee species (9.6%) have already disappeared, according to the 2024 red list.
Translated from French by DeepL/ts
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, if you want to learn more about how we use technology, click here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
Most Read Swiss Abroad
More
How centuries of Swiss emigrants left their mark on the US
Bodycams: essential for good law enforcement, or a privacy risk?
Did you ever come across bodycams in your place of residence and if so, how do you think the use of bodycams alter the relationship between the public and (transport) police?
Marcel Hug and Elena Kratter to carry Swiss flag at Paralympics
This content was published on
Swiss athletes Marcel Hug and Elena Kratter will carry the Swiss flag at the opening ceremony of the Paralympics in Paris on Wednesday.
Digitalisation increases uncertainty for Swiss creatives
This content was published on
Digitalization could further worsen the legal and social situation of creative artists. According to a new report, social security, copyright and privacy protection are lagging behind developments.
Albane Valenzuela first Swiss golfer to play in Solheim or Ryder Cups
This content was published on
Albane Valenzuela will be the first Swiss golfer to play in either the Solheim or Ryder Cup, the biennial tournaments between Europe and the United States.
Not one Swiss canton on track for Paris climate agreement
This content was published on
Despite some progress, not one of Switzerland's 26 cantons is yet on a trajectory compatible with the Paris climate agreement, which would limit global warming to 1.5°C.
Switzerland should cooperate more on armaments, say studies
This content was published on
Switzerland should focus on international cooperation to strengthen its position, say studies by the University of St Gallen and the federal technology institute ETH Zurich.
Fight against skills shortage is insufficient, says Swiss audit office
This content was published on
The government has been providing the economy with financial support for years to alleviate the shortage of skilled workers. The Swiss Federal Audit Office concludes that these measures have only had a limited effect.
Swiss publisher Tamedia makes massive job cuts and closes printing plants
This content was published on
The TX Group has announced the reduction of around 200 full-time positions in the printing plants of its subsidiary Tamedia.
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.