Cantonal popular initiative: Canton of Neuchatel

«Pour une gestion professionnelle de la faune sauvage»

Initiative populaire cantonale sous forme de projet rédigé / Constitutional initiative in the form of a drafted proposal

Fondée sur l’article 102 de la Constitution de la République et Canton de Neuchâtel du 24 septembre 2000 et sur la loi sur les droits politiques (LDP)

Déposée par le comité d’initiative [date du dépôt] / Submitted by the initiative committee [date of submission]

Note: The following template text has been drafted in German, as wildbeimwild.com is a German-language platform. For submission in the Canton of Neuchatel, the initiative text must be available in French. Translation into French must be ensured by a legal professional prior to submission.

Text of the initiative

The undersigned persons entitled to vote in the Canton of Neuchatel hereby submit the following constitutional initiative:

The Constitution of the Republic and Canton of Neuchatel of 24 September 2000 is amended to include the following articles:

Art. [new] Professional wildlife protection / Gestion professionnelle de la faune sauvage

1 The exercise of hunting by private individuals (licence hunting, recreational hunting) is prohibited throughout the territory of the Canton of Neuchatel.

2 The protection, care and, where necessary, regulation of wild animals shall be the exclusive responsibility of professionally trained wildlife managers employed by the canton.

3 The killing of wild animals is only permitted as a last resort, when all other suitable measures for preventing damage or averting danger have been exhausted or are insufficient. It requires prior approval by the Wildlife Commission.

4 The canton shall establish an independent Wildlife Commission, composed of representatives of animal welfare and nature conservation organisations, the scientific community and the authorities concerned. The commission shall oversee wildlife management and decide on regulatory measures.

5 The canton shall promote the natural regulation of wildlife populations, the connectivity of habitats and the coexistence of humans and wild animals.

6 Further details shall be regulated by law.

Art. [new] Protection of threatened and protected wild animal species / Protection des espèces menacées

1 The canton refrains from regulating populations of protected wild animal species pursuant to Art. 7a of the Federal Act on Hunting and the Protection of Wild Mammals and Birds and does not grant kill permits for individual animals of protected species pursuant to Art. 12 para. 2 of this Act, in particular not for wolf, lynx, bear, beaver, otter, golden jackal, golden eagle, goosander and other species protected under federal law. Paragraph 3 remains reserved.

2 It relies on fostering coexistence between humans and wild animals, passive damage prevention, the ecological enhancement of habitats and the scientific monitoring of wild animal presence.

3 Measures against individual wild animals that pose an immediate and significant danger to humans remain reserved. They are to be limited to the minimum necessary and carried out by the canton's competent specialist authority.

4 The canton actively advocates for the protection and preservation of endangered wild animal species within the framework of inter-cantonal cooperation and towards the Confederation.

Transitional provision / Disposition transitoire

1 The Council of State shall issue the necessary implementing provisions within two years of the adoption of this constitutional amendment.

2 Existing hunting licences expire upon the entry into force of the implementing provisions. Patent fees already paid for the current hunting season will be reimbursed on a pro-rata basis.

3 The Council of State shall ensure the continuity of wildlife management during the transitional phase.

Explanatory notes

1. Starting position

The Canton of Neuchatel covers 803 km² and has around 175’000 inhabitants. It stretches from the shores of Lake Neuchatel across the vineyards on the southern slopes of the Jura to the hills of the Val-de-Travers and the Freiberge. The canton is divided into two parts: an urban strip along the lake (Neuchatel, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Le Locle) and a rural, forested hinterland in the Jura.

Recreational hunting in Neuchatel is organised as licence hunting. Private individuals purchase a cantonal licence and hunt without fixed responsibility for a specific hunting ground. The licence system generates no professional added value compared to professional wildlife management (cf. the Psychology of recreational hunting in the canton of Neuchatel as well as the critical analysis of hunting training on wildbeimwild.com).

The claim that without recreational hunting the ecological balance would collapse has been empirically disproven by the Geneva model for over 50 years (cf. the comprehensive dossier on the Geneva hunting ban on wildbeimwild.com). As a canton of French-speaking Switzerland, Neuchatel can observe the Geneva model up close. The experience is well documented, the results are verifiable, and the experts are accessible. For the population of Neuchatel, the Geneva reference model is directly accessible both linguistically and culturally.

At the same time, more and more protected wild animal species are coming under pressure at federal level. The regulation of wolves in the Jura arc directly affects the canton: the Marchairuz and Risoux packs live in the neighbouring Vaud Jura. In the canton of Vaud, an illegally shot wolf was found in 2024. The culling of the lead animals of the packs in the Vaud Jura by the authorities was criticised as unlawful by the Groupe Loup Suisse. Political pressure on other species such as lynx, beaver, otter and goosander is steadily increasing (see the analysis of hunting policy on wildbeimwild.com).

2. The role model: canton of Geneva

On 19 May 1974, a good 70 percent of voters in the canton of Geneva voted to abolish militia-style recreational hunting. Neuchatel and Geneva belong to the same linguistic region. The Geneva experience is directly accessible to the population of Neuchatel both culturally and linguistically. The experience since the recreational hunting ban has been unambiguous:

Biodiversity has increased markedly. The number of overwintering waterfowl has multiplied from a few hundred to around 30,000. Geneva is now home to the largest brown hare population and one of the last grey partridge populations in Switzerland. Before the 1974 vote, the recreational hunting lobby had claimed that the brown hare would be wiped out by Predators without recreational hunting. The opposite has occurred.
The roe deer population has settled at a healthy level, with an annual special cull by professional game wardens of just 20 to 36 animals.
The ban has been in place continuously for over 50 years. Geneva has never repealed it. Total costs amount to around 1.2 million francs annually, or around 2.40 francs per inhabitant.

A detailed account can be found in the dossier «Geneva and the hunting ban» on wildbeimwild.com.

3. The concept: professional wildlife wardens instead of recreational hunting

The initiative replaces recreational hunting with professional wildlife management based on the game warden model:

Professional expertise instead of leisure pursuit. Professional wildlife managers act on a scientific basis, within the framework of a cantonal performance mandate.

Last-resort principle. A kill is only permissible once all non-lethal measures have been exhausted.

Democratic oversight through a wildlife commission. The independent commission prevents political pressure from diluting wildlife management.

Natural self-regulation as a guiding principle. Experience from Geneva, from national parks and from numerous scientific Studies confirms that, in most cases, wildlife populations regulate themselves.

4. Why Neuchatel?

Neuchatel is particularly well suited for the introduction of professional wildlife protection for several reasons:

Cultural proximity to Geneva.As a French-speaking canton of Romandy, Neuchatel has direct cultural and linguistic access to the Geneva model. The Geneva experience can be communicated directly, without translation barriers. The statements of Geneva experts, such as long-serving fauna inspector Gottlieb Dandliker, are available in French and can be quoted directly. This cultural proximity is a strategic advantage that no German-speaking canton has. The efficiency of the Geneva model is shown in a direct comparison: a professional game warden in Geneva needs on average 8 hours and a maximum of 2 cartridges for a sanitary kill of a wild boar. A recreational hunter in the canton of Zurich needs 60 to 80 hours and up to 15 cartridges for the same task. The density of brown hares in Geneva is 17.7 animals per 100 hectares (the highest in Switzerland), whereas in the canton of Zurich it is only 1.0 per 100 hectares (cf. fact check by the Zurich Cantonal Council).

Wolf policy as a current occasion. The wolf presence in the Neuchâtel Jura and the packs in the Vaud Jura make the second paragraph (protection of protected species) particularly relevant. The controversial killings of pack leaders in the Vaud Jura and incidents of poaching show how urgently a constitutional protection mechanism is needed. Neuchâtel can set a counter-example here (cf. the analysis of wolf policy on wildbeimwild.com).

Licence hunting = a simple change of system. As in Zug and Appenzell Outer Rhodes, no hunting lease agreements need to be terminated and no municipalities need to be compensated. The licences expire once the implementing provisions come into force.

Jura as an ecological hotspot. The Neuchâtel Jura is one of the most important wildlife areas in French-speaking Switzerland. Lynx, wolf, beaver and a rich bird life are present in the canton. Professional wildlife management here is not an abstraction, but a concrete necessity for preserving biodiversity.

Observe the collection deadline. The collection period for popular initiatives in Neuchâtel is 6 months. With 6,000 signatures required, that amounts to around 33 signatures per day. In a canton with 175,000 inhabitants, this is demanding but feasible, especially in the urban centres of Neuchâtel and La Chaux-de-Fonds.

5. On the text of the initiative

The initiative text corresponds to the licence hunting variant. Cantonal competence is undisputed: the federal hunting act (JSG) expressly leaves the organisation of hunting operations to the cantons (Art. 3 para. 1 and 2 JSG). The three hunting systems (licence hunting, territorial hunting and administrative hunting) are equivalent. The canton of Geneva has practised administrative hunting since 1974 in compliance with federal law.

The second paragraph on the protection of protected species is particularly relevant for Neuchâtel because of the wolf presence in the Jura. The «in particular» wording ensures that protection will continue to cover species protected under federal law in future, without requiring a constitutional amendment.

Important: for actual submission, the initiative text must be available in French. The terminology of Geneva law (Art. 162 of the Geneva Cantonal Constitution: «La chasse aux mammères et aux oiseaux est interdite. Les mesures officielles de régulation de la faune sont réservées.») provides the linguistic template for the Neuchâtel wording.

6. Cost implications: concrete budget for Neuchâtel

For Neuchâtel, with an area of 803 km² and around 175,000 inhabitants, the following cost estimate results:

Personnel costs: CHF 360,000 to 560,000 annually. Between 3 and 4 full-time positions are required. At 803 km², Neuchatel is almost three times the size of Geneva (282 km²), but with the Jura it has more topographically challenging terrain. A full-time position in the cantonal service costs around 120’000 to 140’000 francs annually, including incidental expenses.

Material costs: 80’000 to 120’000 francs annually. Equipment, vehicles, deterrent devices, monitoring infrastructure, electric fences, public relations work.

Damage compensation: 50’000 to 100’000 francs annually. Mainly wild boar damage to agriculture and browsing damage in the forest.

Total costs: 490’000 to 780’000 francs annually (gross). This corresponds to around 2.80 to 4.45 francs per resident per year.

Lost revenue

With the abolition of recreational hunting, licence fees of an estimated 300’000 to 500’000 francs annually will no longer be collected. However, this is offset by the never-balanced external costs of militia hunting (wildlife-vehicle collisions, hunting-related browsing damage in protective forests, administrative expenses, police and court interventions), which are likely to significantly exceed this revenue. In the canton of Geneva, this revenue has been absent since 1974, without any financial problems: before the hunting ban, more than 400 recreational hunters were active; today, three full-time positions do the same work better. Sanitary and therapeutic kills carried out by professional game wardens are not the same as regulatory hunting based on hunters' lore or a misunderstood “nature experience” of recreational hunters. A full cost accounting shows that militia hunting costs the taxpayer significantly more than it generates (cf. «What recreational hunting really costs Switzerland» on wildbeimwild.com).

Recreational hunters in politics vote against nature conservation. The recreational hunting lobby systematically opposes biodiversity and species protection concerns. In 2024, it fought against the Biodiversity Initiative (63 per cent No). In 2020, the hunting act it had helped shape failed at the ballot box (51.9 per cent No). In 2016, the Ticino hunting association torpedoed the Parc Adula national park. During the 2015–2019 legislative period, recreational hunters in parliament voted predominantly against environmental concerns. Anyone who claims that recreational hunters are nature conservationists is ignoring their voting behaviour (cf. Ticino Hunting Association: 30 Years of Nonsense and Cost dossier).

This is offset by savings: no hunting examinations, no licence administration, no kill quota planning, no hunting supervision. The Net additional costs are likely to be in the range of CHF 250,000 to 500,000 annually, which corresponds to around1.45 to 2.85 francs per resident corresponds.

7. Compatibility with superordinate law

The initiative complies with federal law. Art. 3 para. 1 and 2 JSG, the three equivalent hunting systems, over 50 years of unchallenged practice in Geneva. Art. 7a JSG enables cantons to carry out preventive regulation but does not oblige them to do so. The same applies to kill permits for individual animals under Art. 12 para. 2 JSG. The initiative preserves the unity of subject matter.

8. Anticipating foreseeable objections

“Neuchatel is three times the size of Geneva, the model cannot be transferred”

The facts: The larger area requires more specialists (3 to 4 full-time positions instead of around 3), but this does not change the basic principle. In Geneva, around 3 full-time positions cover 282 km², while in Neuchatel, with 803 km², it would be around 3 to 4. The additional requirement remains moderate, and the costs remain manageable. The Jura is topographically more challenging, but also more sparsely populated, which simplifies wildlife management.

Short communicative formula: «More area requires more specialists. But the principle works: Geneva has proven it for 50 years.»

«The wolf is a real problem in the Neuchatel Jura»

The facts: The initiative creates exactly the structures needed for a professional approach to the wolf: specially trained wildlife managers who act on a scientific basis, and an independent wildlife commission that decides on regulatory measures. In Geneva, where wolf presence has also been documented, this system works. In the neighbouring canton of Vaud, by contrast, there has been poaching and controversial kills. Professional management is the answer to the wolf, not recreational hunting (see the Psychology of recreational hunting in the canton of Neuchatel).

Short communicative formula: «The wolf needs specialists, not recreational hunters. Geneva shows how it's done. In the Vaud Jura, wolves were poached.»

«The collection period is too short for 6,000 signatures»

The facts: 6,000 signatures in 6 months require around 33 signatures per day. Around 70,000 people live in Neuchatel and La Chaux-de-Fonds combined. The urban concentration makes collection considerably easier. With professional organisation and support from animal and nature conservation associations, the hurdle is manageable.

Short communicative formula: «33 signatures a day. In two towns with 70,000 inhabitants. Feasible.»

9. Summary

This initiative gives the people of Neuchatel the opportunity to speak out in favour of modern, evidence-based wildlife management. As a canton of Romandy, Neuchatel has direct access to the proven Geneva model. A success would be the second example of professional wildlife protection in French-speaking Switzerland and would have a signal effect for the whole of Romandy and beyond. The species protection clause is especially relevant given the wolf policy in the Neuchatel Jura.

Initiative committee «For professional wildlife protection» / Comité d’initiative «Pour une gestion professionnelle de la faune sauvage»

[Name 1], [Name 2], [Name 3] …

(Committee members in accordance with cantonal law, resident in the canton)

Contact address: [Committee address]

Appendix: Further documentation

The Geneva model in detail: wildbeimwild.com/dossiers/genf-und-das-jagdverbot. Comprehensive overview of Geneva's wildlife management since 1974.

Scientific studies: wildbeimwild.com/studien-ueber-die-auswirkung-der-jagd-auf-wildtiere-und-jaeger. Collection of scientific studies on the self-regulation of wildlife populations.

Hunting in Switzerland: wildbeimwild.com/warum-die-hobby-jagd-in-der-schweiz-kein-naturschutz-ist. Continuously updated overview of Swiss hunting policy.

Psychology of recreational hunting in the canton of Neuchatel: wildbeimwild.com: Psychology of recreational hunting in canton NE

Psychology of recreational hunting: wildbeimwild.com/category/psychologie-jagd. Analyses of motives, justifications and social dynamics of recreational hunting.

Wolf dossier: wildbeimwild.com/dossiers/wolf-in-der-schweiz-fakten-politik-und-die-grenzen-der-jagd. Current developments in wolf policy in Switzerland.

Wild animals and predators: wildbeimwild.com/category/wildtiere. Information on wild animals, predators and the coexistence of humans and wild animals.

Hunting myths: wildbeimwild.com/dossiers/jagdmythen. Fact check on the most common claims made by the recreational hunting lobby.

Cantonal popular initiative Basel-Stadt: Template text of the initiative in the canton of Basel-Stadt.

Note on the procedure

The initiative committee submits the initiative text in French to the State Chancellery of the canton of Neuchatel for preliminary examination before the signature-collection period begins. The initiative requires 6,000 valid signatures to come into effect (Art. 102 para. 1 Cst. NE). The collection period is 6 months from publication in the Feuille officielle. The submission procedures are governed by the cantonal legislation on political rights (LDP).

Strategic briefing for activists

Popular initiative «For professional wildlife protection», canton of Neuchatel Internal working document, as of March 2026

Summary

Neuchatel is a strategically important Romandy canton for an initiative modelled on the Geneva approach. Its cultural and linguistic proximity to Geneva allows for a direct transfer of the campaign. Wolf policy in the Jura provides the current occasion. A success would mean a second hunting ban in French-speaking Switzerland and a signal for the whole of Romandy.

1. Why Neuchatel?

Same language region as Geneva. The Geneva experience is directly accessible in Neuchatel, both linguistically and culturally.

Wolf policy as a mobilisation issue. The presence of wolves in the Neuchatel Jura and the controversial kills in the neighbouring canton of Vaud make the species-protection clause a topical issue.

Licence hunting = a simple change of system. No lease agreements, no compensation for municipalities.

Jura as an ecological hotspot. Lynx, wolf, beaver and a rich bird life make professional wildlife management a concrete necessity.

2. Particular opportunities

Geneva expertise in French.The public statements of long-serving Geneva fauna inspector Gottlieb Dandliker are available in French and can be quoted directly in Neuchatel media and at events.

Geneva media as allies. The Romandy media (RTS, Le Temps, Tribune de Genève) have repeatedly portrayed the Geneva model positively. A Neuchatel initiative would generate media attention throughout Romandy.

Contrast with the Vaud model. While in the neighbouring canton of Vaud, lead animals of wolf packs are being shot — which wolf advocates criticise as unlawful — and poachers go unpunished, Neuchatel could take the opposite path: constitutional protection instead of kills on demand (see the Psychology of recreational hunting in the canton of Neuchatel).

3. Communication strategy: the three core messages

«Genève le fait depuis 50 ans. Neuchâtel peut faire de même.» The strongest message, because it is formulated in the canton's mother tongue and cites a working reference model from the canton's own language region.

«Professionnel, pas amateur.» Professionals instead of recreational hunters. Simple and memorable.

«Le loup mérite des professionnels, pas des braconniers.» The wolf deserves professionals, not poachers. This message links the species protection clause to the current debate.

4. Timetable

Phase	Content	Timeframe
Committee formation & preliminary text review	Consult a lawyer; translation into French; committee members resident in Neuchatel	Month 1–4
Submission for preliminary review	State Chancellery of Neuchatel (Chancellerie d’État)	Month 4–5
Publication & start of signature collection	6-month deadline; target: 5’500+ signatures as a buffer	Month 5
Party contacts & coalition building	PS, Verts, PVL; activate Geneva contacts; nature conservation associations	Month 1–10
Submission of signatures	State Chancellery, official verification	Month 11–13
Grand Conseil debate	Parliamentary anchoring; media work	Month 14–22
Voting campaign	Final mobilisation with support from Geneva	Month 22–28

5. Campaign material

Geneva dossier as the central set of arguments, supplemented by French-language materials.
The Psychology of recreational hunting in the canton of Neuchatel as background material.
Public statements by Gottlieb Dandliker (Geneva fauna inspector from 2001 to 2025) as a reference for media work.
Local media: ArcInfo, Le Courrier, RTS (Région), Canal Alpha.
Wolf dossier focusing on wolf policy in the Neuchatel and Vaud Jura.

6. Further sources

This document is a template text from IG Wild beim Wild. It may be freely used by activists, organisations or initiative committees and adapted to the conditions in the canton of Neuchatel.

Fact check: The claims of the recreational hunting lobby

The brochure «Die Jagd in der Schweiz schützt und nützt» (Hunting in Switzerland protects and benefits) by JagdSchweiz reads like an advertising flyer, yet its central claims do not withstand a fact check. Ten narratives put to the test, ranging from “state task” and “species diversity” to “80% approval”: Dossier: Fact check on the JagdSchweiz brochure →