Template text: Right to recreation without confrontation with hobby hunting
1. Motion
The cantonal government is instructed to submit to the cantonal parliament a proposal to amend the Law on Hunting and Wildlife Protection (… law designation …), the Forest Law (… law designation …) and the Hunting Ordinance (… ordinance designation …), which legally strengthens the right of the population in canton (…) to unrestricted, safe and undisturbed recreation in forests and nature against hobby hunting. The legislative revision must ensure in particular that
- hobby hunting activities in publicly accessible forest and recreational areas are regulated temporally and spatially so that the population is not confronted with firearms use, barriers or hunting with hounds at any time of day or year without being informed in advance in a timely and clear manner
- a cantonal reporting obligation for all hunting activities is introduced, which is published publicly in real-time (digital map, app)
- no hobby hunting takes place in publicly accessible recreational areas on weekends and public holidays
- hunting-free recreational zones are mandatorily designated in local recreational areas around settlements, on frequently used hiking trails and in areas with high recreational use
In particular, it must be legally regulated that
- pedestrians, hikers and other recreational users may not at any time be endangered by hunting activities or prevented from accessing public paths
- unauthorized barriers and path closures by hobby hunters without official permission constitute a violation of the Forest Law (free forest access)
- the canton establishes a low-threshold reporting office where the population can report conflicts with hobby hunting
- the cantonal government reports annually to the cantonal parliament on the reported conflicts
2. Brief justification
The right to recreation in nature is a fundamental concern of the population. The Federal Forest Act (WaG Art. 14) guarantees free access to forests. At the same time, cantons regularly conduct hunting activities in precisely those areas that serve the population as recreational spaces.
Particularly problematic are drive hunts, where entire forest sections are de facto blocked off. For families with children, elderly people, or people with dogs, such situations are not merely unpleasant, but potentially dangerous.
The canton of Geneva has shown that professional wildlife management without hobby hunting opens up natural spaces completely for the population. This motion demands binding regulations that protect recreational rights.