Cantonal People's Initiative – Canton of Glarus

«For professional wildlife protection»

Memorial petition to the Landsgemeinde of the Canton of Glarus

Based on Art. 56 ff. of the Constitution of the Canton of Glarus of 1 May 1988 and on the Law on Political Rights

Submitted by [Name], [Place of residence GL], [Date]

Note: The Canton of Glarus is a Landsgemeinde canton. At the Landsgemeinde, all eligible voters from Glarus can vote directly on constitutional and legislative proposals. A memorial request (Memorialsantrag) can be submitted by any individual eligible voter. No signatures are required.

Motion

The Landsgemeinde of the Canton of Glarus resolves the following amendment to the Constitution of the Canton of Glarus of 1 May 1988:

Art. [new] Professional Wildlife Protection

1The exercise of hunting by private individuals (licensed hunting, hobby hunting) is prohibited throughout the entire territory of the Canton of Glarus.

2The protection, care and, where necessary, the regulation of wild animals is the exclusive responsibility of professionally trained wildlife managers in the service of the canton.

3The culling of wild animals is only permissible as a last resort, when all other appropriate measures for damage prevention or hazard mitigation have been exhausted or proven insufficient. It requires prior approval from the Wildlife Commission.

4The canton shall establish an independent Wildlife Commission composed of representatives of animal and nature conservation organisations, the scientific community, and the relevant authorities. The Commission oversees wildlife management and decides on regulatory measures.

5The canton promotes the natural regulation of wildlife populations, the connectivity of habitats, and the coexistence of humans and wildlife.

6Further details shall be governed by law.

Art. [new] Protection of Threatened and Protected Wildlife Species

1The canton refrains from submitting applications for the preventive population regulation of protected wildlife species under the Federal Act on Hunting and the Protection of Wild Mammals and Birds, in particular wolf, lynx, bear, beaver, otter, golden jackal, golden eagle, goosander, and other species protected under federal law.

2It relies on promoting the coexistence of humans and wildlife, passive damage prevention, the ecological enhancement of habitats, and the scientific monitoring of wildlife presence.

3 Measures against individual wild animals that pose an immediate and significant danger to people remain reserved. They are to be kept to a minimum and carried out by the competent specialist authority of the canton.

4 Within the framework of intercantonal cooperation and in relation to the federal government, the canton actively advocates for the protection and conservation of endangered wild animal species.

Transitional Provision

1 The cantonal government shall issue the necessary implementing regulations within two years of the adoption of this constitutional amendment.

2 Existing hunting licenses expire upon the entry into force of the implementing regulations. License fees already paid for the current hunting season will be refunded on a pro-rata basis.

3 The cantonal government ensures the continuity of wildlife management during the transitional period.

Explanatory Notes

1. Background

In the canton of Glarus, a small Alpine canton with around 40’000 residents spread over 685 km², today's hobby hunting is a system that serves neither species protection nor modern wildlife management. It is the pursuit of a bloody leisure pastime at the expense of sentient beings, legitimized by outdated narratives that do not withstand scientific scrutiny. The claim that without hobby hunting the ecological balance would collapse has been empirically refuted for over 50 years by the Geneva model (see the comprehensive dossier on the Geneva hunting ban at wildbeimwild.com).

Hobby hunting in Glarus is organized as a license-based system. Private individuals purchase a cantonal license and hunt without fixed territorial responsibility (see the psychology of hobby hunting in the canton of Glarus as well as the critical analysis of hunting training at wildbeimwild.com).

The wolf is present in Glarus. The lynx is native to the canton. The golden eagle breeds in the Glarus Alps. Since February 2025, the beaver may be shot upon cantonal request. The Klöntal and Sernftal valleys are habitats of regional significance. The UNESCO World Heritage Site Tectonic Arena Sardona is located partly within the canton of Glarus (see the analysis of hunting policy at wildbeimwild.com and the wolf policy at wildbeimwild.com).

The canton of Glarus has the opportunity to set a clear precedent here. The Landsgemeinde provides the ideal democratic instrument for this: a single individual can put forward the motion, and the entire electorate decides directly.

2. The Model: Canton of Geneva

On 19 May 1974, around two-thirds of voters in the canton of Geneva voted to abolish militia-based hobby hunting. The evidence is clear:

– Biodiversity has increased markedly. The number of overwintering waterfowl has multiplied from a few hundred to around 30’000. Geneva today is home to the largest hare population and one of the last grey partridge populations in Switzerland.

– The roe deer population has stabilised at a healthy level, with an annual selective cull by professional wildlife wardens of just 20 to 36 animals.

– In 2005, 90 percent of Geneva’s electorate voted to retain the ban. In 2009, a motion to reintroduce hunting was rejected by 70 votes to 7.

– Total costs amount to around 1.2 million francs per year, approximately 2.40 francs per resident per year.

Geneva’s Fauna Inspector Gottlieb Dandliker describes the hobby hunting ban as the most cost-effective alternative. A detailed account can be found in the dossier «Geneva and the Hunting Ban» on wildbeimwild.com. The efficiency of the Geneva model is evident in direct comparison: a professional wildlife warden in Geneva requires an average of 8 hours and a maximum of 2 cartridges for a sanitary cull of a wild boar. A hobby hunter in the canton of Zurich requires 60 to 80 hours and up to 15 cartridges for the same task. The hare density in Geneva is 17.7 animals per 100 hectares (the highest in Switzerland), while in the canton of Zurich it is only 1.0 per 100 hectares (cf. Fact-check Canton Council of Zurich).

3. The Concept: Professional Wildlife Management Instead of Hobby Hunting

The memorial motion replaces hobby hunting with a professional wildlife management system based on the wildlife warden model:

Professional expertise instead of recreational pastime. Professional wildlife managers act on a scientific basis (cf. the critical analysis of hunting training).

Ultima ratio principle. A cull is only permitted once all non-lethal measures have been exhausted.

Democratic oversight through a wildlife commission.

Natural self-regulation as a guiding principle. Demonstrated by Geneva, national parks and studies.

4. Why Glarus?

Landsgemeinde: The most direct democracy in Switzerland. A single eligible voter can submit a memorial motion. No signatures required. The lowest threshold in all of Switzerland.

UNESCO World Heritage Site Tectonic Arena Sardona. Professional wildlife management strengthens the protection of this unique area.

Glarus Alps: Protective forests and wildlife. Wolf, lynx, golden eagle, ibex, chamois. Klöntal and Sernftal as valuable habitats (see wildbeimwild.com on protected areas and wolf policy).

Similar size to Geneva. 685 km² vs. 282 km². More sparsely populated, fewer conflict zones (see wildbeimwild.com on wildlife in residential areas).

Patent hunting = straightforward change of system. No lease agreements, no municipal compensation.

5. On the text of the motion

The six paragraphs of the first article and the four paragraphs of the second article correspond exactly to the Geneva model and the patent hunting variant of the entire initiative series. Compliant with federal law under Art. 3 para. 1 JSG. Geneva unchallenged since 1974. The wildlife commission prevents the cantonal government from independently authorising exceptions (see wildbeimwild.com/jagd-fakten).

6. On the second article: Protection of endangered and protected wildlife species

Wolf, lynx, and golden eagle are present in the canton. The “in particular” formulation also protects future returnees.

7. Cost implications

In Geneva (282 km², 500’000 inhabitants): 1.2 million francs per year. For Glarus (685 km², 40’000 inhabitants), the following deliberately conservative projection results, generously accounting for additional alpine costs:

Personnel costs: 360’000 to 700’000 francs. Between 3 and 5 full-time positions are required. Glarus is a topographically demanding alpine canton home to the UNESCO World Heritage Site Tectonic Arena Sardona, the Klöntal and the Sernftal. The higher number of positions reflects the red deer transition management.

Operating costs: 70’000 to 130’000 francs. Damage compensation: 35’000 to 90’000 francs.

Herd protection start-up investment: 300’000 to 500’000 francs. One-time investment in herd protection infrastructure for the Glarus Alps and the Sernftal over three to five years.

Loss of revenue

With the abolition of hobby hunting, license fees of an estimated 200’000 to 350’000 francs per year would be eliminated. However, these are offset by the never-accounted-for external costs of militia hunting — wildlife accidents, hunting-related browsing damage in protective forests, administrative burden, police and court operations — which amount to many times these revenues. In the canton of Geneva, these revenues have been absent since 1974 — without any financial problems: before the hunting ban, over 400 hobby hunters were active; today, three full-time positions do the same work better. Sanitary and therapeutic culling by professional wildlife wardens is not the same as regulatory hunting based on hunters’ lore or the misguided “nature experience” of hobby hunters. A full-cost accounting shows: militia hunting costs the taxpayer significantly more than it generates (cf. «What hobby hunting really costs Switzerland» on wildbeimwild.com).

Hobby hunters in politics vote against nature conservation. The hobby hunting lobby systematically opposes biodiversity and species protection concerns. In 2024, it fought the Biodiversity Initiative (63 percent No). In 2020, the hunting law it helped shape failed at the ballot box (51.9 percent No). In 2016, the Ticino hunters’ association torpedoed the Parc Adula national park. During the 2015 to 2019 legislative term, hobby hunters in parliament voted predominantly against environmental concerns. Those who claim that hobby hunters are conservationists are ignoring their voting record (cf. Ticino Hunters’ Association: 30 Years of Nonsense and Cost Dossier).

Total gross costs: 465’000 to 920’000 francs. After savings (no license administration, hunting supervision, or cull planning; a senselessly killed wolf costs 35’000 francs): Net additional costs 250’000 to 600’000 francs per year. Red deer are present in the Glarus Alps. Compensatory reproduction driven by hunting pressure also affects Glarus. After the transition to the new system, targeted transitional management will be required during the first three to five years. For a canton with a budget of around 434 million francs (2024 state accounts, FFA), this is modest: less than 0.15 percent (cf. Hunting Myths Fact Check).

8. Compatibility with Higher-Level Law

Compliant with federal law (Art. 3 para. 1 JSG, three equivalent hunting systems, Geneva since 1974). Art. 7a JSG enables but does not require preventive regulation. Unity of subject matter preserved.

9. Anticipating Foreseeable Objections

"Glarus is too small"

The facts: Geneva has been doing it for 50 years on 282 km². Glarus has 685 km² and is more sparsely populated. 250’000 to 600’000 francs in absolute terms (cf. the Psychology of Hobby Hunting in the Canton of Glarus).

Concise communicative formula: «Geneva has been doing it for 50 years on 282 km². Glarus has 685 km².»

"The wolf endangers livestock"

Concise communicative formula: «Professional herd protection protects the herds. Hobby hunters do not.»

"The costs are too high"

Concise communicative formula: «250’000 to 600’000 francs. 0.1 to 0.2 percent of the cantonal budget.»

10. Summary

This memorial motion gives the Glarus Landsgemeinde the opportunity to express its support for modern, evidence-based wildlife management. The Landsgemeinde is the ideal democratic instrument: a single individual submits the motion, and the electorate decides directly. The lowest democratic threshold in Switzerland for the greatest possible change.

Applicant: [Name], [Address], [Place of residence GL]

(Any person entitled to vote in the canton of Glarus may submit a memorial motion.)

Appendix: Further Documentation

The Geneva model in detail: wildbeimwild.com/dossiers/genf-und-das-jagdverbot

Scientific studies: wildbeimwild.com/studien

Hunting in Switzerland: wildbeimwild.com/jagd-in-der-schweiz

Psychology of hobby hunting in the canton of Glarus: wildbeimwild.com – Psychology of Hobby Hunting in the Canton of GL

National parks: wildbeimwild.com/category/nationalpark

Hunting myths: wildbeimwild.com/dossiers/jagdmythen

Cantonal popular initiative Basel-Stadt: Template text Basel-Stadt

Note on Procedure

A memorial motion may be submitted by any individual entitled to vote in the canton of Glarus. The motion must be submitted to the cantonal chancellery by the deadline published in the Official Gazette at the latest. The motion is published in the Memorial. The cantonal government issues a statement. The motion is voted on at the next ordinary Landsgemeinde (held each year on the first Sunday in May). The applicant has the right to present the motion in person.

Strategic Briefing for Activists

Memorial Motion «For Professional Wildlife Protection» – Canton of Glarus Internal Working Document – As of March 2026

Summary

Glarus is a Landsgemeinde canton. A single individual can submit the memorial motion. No signatures required. The lowest hurdle in the series. 685 km², 40’000 inhabitants. UNESCO World Heritage Tectonic Arena Sardona. 150’000–350’000 francs net additional costs.

1. Special feature: Landsgemeinde procedure

No signatures. A memorial motion can be submitted by a single eligible voter.

Personal justification. The applicant presents the motion in person at the Landsgemeinde (3–5 minutes).

Direct vote. The electorate decides by a show of hands.

Note the deadline. The motion must be submitted to the cantonal chancellery in time.

2. Opposition analysis

"Glarus is too small": "Geneva has been doing it for 50 years on 282 km². Glarus has 685 km²."

"The wolf threatens livestock": "Professional herd protection safeguards the herds. Hobby hunters do not."

"The costs are too high": "250’000 to 600’000 francs. 0.1 to 0.2 percent of the cantonal budget."

3. Key messages

"Geneva has been leading the way for 50 years." 90 percent approval.

"Professional rather than recreational." Specialists instead of hobby hunters.

"The Landsgemeinde decides directly." No detour through party politics.

4. Timeline

Phase	Content	Timeframe
Prepare motion	Consult a lawyer; finalize text	Month 1–3
Submission	Cantonal chancellery, before the deadline	As per official gazette
Media work	Südostschweiz Glarus, Glarner Nachrichten	After submission
Support network	SP, Greens; Pro Natura GL; BirdLife; local associations	Ongoing
Landsgemeinde speech	3–5 min., clear, fact-based, personal	Before Landsgemeinde
Landsgemeinde	1st Sunday in May; present motion; show of hands	Landsgemeinde day

5. Tips for the Landsgemeinde speech

Short and clear. 3 to 5 minutes. Begin personally. Geneva as proof. "Geneva has been doing it for 50 years. 90 percent want to keep it." Costs in concrete terms. "250’000 to 600’000 francs." Close with an appeal. "Vote for professional wildlife protection. For our animals. For our Glarnerland."

6. Sources

This document is a template text by IG Wild beim Wild. It may be freely used and adapted to the circumstances in the canton of Glarus by activists, organizations, or applicants.

Fact Check: The Claims of the Hobby Hunting Lobby

The brochure «Hunting in Switzerland Protects and Benefits» by JagdSchweiz reads like a promotional pamphlet — yet its central claims do not hold up to a fact check. Ten narratives put to the test, from «state duty» to «biodiversity» to «80% approval»:Dossier: Fact Check JagdSchweiz Brochure →