Swiss government cuts funding for forest conservation

Federal Council cuts funding for forest conservation Keystone-SDA

At a time when Switzerland’s vegetation is suffering from extreme heat and drought, the government intends to cut – from 2027 – the funding allocated to helping forests adapt to climate change.

The news, first reported by the Sunday paper NZZ am Sonntag and confirmed by the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) to the Swiss News Agency Keystone-ATS, has caused consternation among the Conference on Forests, Wildlife and Landscape (CFP).

According to the Zurich-based newspaper, Environment Minister Albert Rösti is said to have removed the relevant funds earmarked for the FOEN from the financial planning with effect from next year.

In 2020, parliament had allocated CHF100 million ($124 million) over four years, partly to plant tree species that are more resistant to heat and drought. The measures were extended in 2023, but with a budget reduced by around a third. Now, in the government’s financial plan, these funds are no longer provided for.

According to Stefan Müller from the Centre Party, a member of the Appenzell Inner Rhodes cantonal government who sits on the CFP committee, the risk of forest fires is also on the rise north of the Alps, while heatwaves are causing increasing damage to forests and resulting in high management costs. The decision therefore comes at a most inopportune time, to say the least, Müller argues.

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Translated from Italian, reviewed by an English Department journalist.