«Pour une gestion professionnelle de la faune sauvage» / «For professional wildlife protection»

Initiative constitutionnelle rédigée de toutes pièces / Constitutional initiative in the form of a fully drafted proposal

Based on Art. 79 of the Constitution of the Canton of Vaud of 14 April 2003 and on the Act on the Exercise of Political Rights

Submitted by the initiative committee [date of submission]

Note: The Canton of Vaud is French-speaking. For submission, the text of the initiative must be available in French. This German-language version serves for overview and strategic planning purposes.

Text of the initiative

The undersigned, eligible voters in the Canton of Vaud, submit the following constitutional initiative:

The Constitution of the Canton of Vaud of 14 April 2003 is supplemented with the following articles:

Art. [new] Professional wildlife protection

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

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 endangered and protected wild animal species

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

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

In the Canton of Vaud, the third-largest canton in Switzerland with around 815,000 inhabitants across an area of 3,212 km², today's recreational hunting is a system that serves neither species conservation nor modern wildlife management. It is the pursuit of a bloody leisure pastime at the expense of sentient beings, legitimised by outdated narratives that do not withstand scientific scrutiny. The claim that without recreational 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 on wildbeimwild.com).

Recreational hunting in Vaud is organised as licence hunting. Private individuals obtain a cantonal licence and hunt without fixed responsibility for a hunting ground (see the Psychology of recreational hunting in the canton of Vaud as well as the critical analysis of hunting training on wildbeimwild.com).

At the same time, more and more protected wildlife species are coming under pressure at the federal level. The revision of the hunting act in December 2022 introduced the preventive regulation of the wolf. Since February 2025, cantons have been able to authorise the killing of individual beavers that cause significant damage (Art. 9d JSV). The canton of Vaud is directly affected by the return of the wolf: several wolf packs have been documented in the Vaud Jura and the Vaud Alps. The lynx has been native to the Jura and the pre-Alps for decades. The beaver inhabits numerous waterways. The golden eagle breeds in the Vaud Alps. The northern shore of Lake Geneva is one of Switzerland's most important waterbird areas (see the analysis of hunting policy on wildbeimwild.com and the wolf policy on wildbeimwild.com).

The canton of Vaud has the opportunity to send a clear signal here: not only in favour of professional wildlife protection instead of recreational hunting, but also for the consistent protection of endangered wildlife species at the cantonal level. As a neighbouring canton of Geneva, Vaud can draw directly on its neighbour's successful experience.

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. Before the ban, big game in the canton had been practically wiped out: red deer and wild boars had been absent for decades, and only a few dozen roe deer remained. Over 400 recreational hunters released large numbers of pheasants, grey partridges and hares for recreational hunting.

The experience since the recreational hunting ban has been unequivocal:

• 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.
• 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 force continuously for over 50 years. Geneva has never repealed it.
• The total cost of professional wildlife management in Geneva amounts to around 1.2 million francs annually, split into approximately 600,000 francs for personnel (around three full-time positions, shared among roughly a dozen environmental officers), 250,000 francs for prevention, and 350,000 francs for damage compensation. This corresponds to around 2.40 francs per resident per year.

Geneva's fauna inspector Gottlieb Dändliker, responsible for wildlife management since 2001, describes the recreational hunting ban as the financially most favourable option for the canton. A detailed account can be found in the dossier «Geneva and the hunting ban» on wildbeimwild.com. For the canton of Vaud, the Geneva experience is not merely a theoretical model but lived neighbourliness: Vaud shares the shore of Lake Geneva, the same language and the same political culture with Geneva.

The efficiency of the Geneva model becomes clear 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).

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

The initiative does not replace recreational hunting with a vacuum, but with professional wildlife management based on the game warden model. This model is founded on the following principles:

Professional expertise instead of leisure pursuit. Professional wildlife managers act on a scientific basis (cf. the critical analysis of hunting training on wildbeimwild.com).

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 Vaud?

The canton of Vaud is particularly well suited to introducing professional wildlife protection for several reasons:

Neighbouring canton of Geneva. Vaud is the immediate neighbour of the canton of Geneva. The Geneva experience is not abstract, but tangible. The people of Vaud know Geneva. The waterbirds that overwinter in Geneva are the same ones seen on the northern shore of Lake Geneva. The wildlife corridors cross the cantonal border. Professional wildlife management in Vaud would extend the Geneva experience to the entire Lake Geneva basin.

Switzerland's largest French-speaking canton. With 815,000 inhabitants, Vaud is the largest canton in French-speaking Switzerland (Romandie). Success here would send a signal to the whole of French-speaking Switzerland (FR, NE, JU, VS). The core messages work in French: «Genève le fait depuis 50 ans. Ce qui fonctionne là-bas fonctionne aussi ici.»

Wolf policy in the Jura and the Alps.Several wolf packs have been documented in the Vaud Jura and in the Vaud Alps (Pays-d’Enhaut, Vaud Gruyère). The controversial wolf kills have politicised the debate. The initiative offers a constitutional response (cf. the wolf policy on wildbeimwild.com).

Lynx in the Vaud Jura. The lynx has been native to the Vaud Jura for decades and naturally regulates the roe deer population. Professional wildlife management protects the lynx and makes use of its ecological function.

Northern shore of Lake Geneva: waterbird habitat of national importance. The northern shore of Lake Geneva is one of Switzerland's most important waterbird habitats. The Geneva experience shows what happens when recreational hunting of waterbirds stops: the number of overwintering waterbirds multiplied from a hundred to 30,000. Vaud could achieve a similar result for the northern shore.

12,000 signatures. With 815,000 inhabitants, 12,000 signatures represent 1.5 per cent of the population. Efficient collection is possible in Lausanne, Yverdon-les-Bains, Montreux, Nyon, Vevey and Morges.

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

University of Lausanne (UNIL) and EPFL. Lausanne is a centre of scientific research. The evidence-based argument for professional wildlife management finds an academically inclined audience here.

5. On the text of the initiative

Paragraph 1: Ban on recreational hunting

The ban on licence hunting by private individuals corresponds to the Geneva model. Cantonal competence is undisputed: Art. 3 para. 1 and 2 of the hunting act. The three hunting systems are of equal standing. Geneva has been compliant with federal law since 1974.

Paragraph 2: Professional wildlife management

Instead of recreational hunters, professionally trained wildlife managers in cantonal service take on all tasks. In Geneva, this system has proven its worth for over 50 years.

Paragraph 3: Kill as a last resort

A kill is the exception, not the rule. Passive measures take priority.

Paragraph 4: Wildlife commission

The independent wildlife commission is modelled on the Geneva system. It prevents the Council of State from approving exceptions on its own authority (cf. Hunting myths fact-checked).

Paragraph 5: Natural regulation and coexistence

Promoting coexistence in Vaud includes in particular connecting the northern shore of Lake Geneva with the Jura and the Alps, securing wildlife corridors, and educating the public.

Transitional provisions

The two-year deadline gives the Council of State sufficient time. The existing cantonal hunting inspectorate (Inspection de la faune) can serve as an institutional basis.

6. On the second article: protection of endangered and protected wild animal species

The second article is particularly relevant for Vaud. Several wolf packs have been documented in the Jura and the Alps. The lynx has been native to the Jura for decades. The beaver inhabits numerous waterways. The northern shore of Lake Geneva is a waterbird habitat of national importance. The phrase "in particular" also protects future returning species, particularly the otter (cf. the wolf policy on wildbeimwild.com).

7. Cost implications: A concrete budget for Vaud

The Geneva reference budget

In Geneva, the directly neighbouring canton with 282 km² and around 500,000 inhabitants, the total cost of professional wildlife management amounts to roughly 1.2 million francs annually.

Conservative projection for Vaud

For Vaud, with an area of 3,212 km² and around 815,000 inhabitants, the following deliberately conservative cost estimate applies. It calculates generously and takes into account the Vaud Alps, the build-up of herd protection and the transitional management of red deer:

Personnel costs: 1,440,000 to 2,380,000 francs annually. 12 to 17 full-time positions are required. Vaud is eleven times larger than Geneva and topographically diverse: Lake Geneva shoreline and Mittelland in the west, Jura in the north, and the Vaud Alps in the east (Diablerets, Pays-d’Enhaut, Château-d’Oex). The wolf has been documented in the canton. In addition, there is the transitional management of red deer in the Alps.

Material costs: 300,000 to 500,000 francs annually. Alpine equipment, vehicles, monitoring infrastructure, herd protection materials and public relations work.

Damage compensation: 150,000 to 350,000 francs annually.

Herd protection start-up investment: 500,000 to 900,000 francs. A one-off investment in herd protection infrastructure for the Vaud Alps (Diablerets, Pays-d’Enhaut) over three to five years: livestock guardian dog programmes, mobile fencing, night enclosures, training of shepherds. Not required in the Vaud Mittelland or along Lake Geneva.

Total costs: 1,890,000 to 3,230,000 francs annually (gross). This corresponds to around 2.30 to 3.95 francs per inhabitant and year.

Transitional management of red deer

The red deer is present in the Vaud Alps. Compensatory reproduction (the reproductive rate artificially increased by hunting pressure) prevents a sustainable reduction. After the system change, targeted transitional management is needed for the first three to five years, which is factored into the higher number of positions (cf. studies on wildbeimwild.com).

Savings and counter-financing

Set against this are considerable savings: no hunting examinations, no licence administration, no kill quota planning, no hunting supervision. A single senselessly killed wolf costs the public around 35,000 francs. As Geneva's neighbouring canton, Vaud has the shortest path of argument: what has been working in Geneva for 50 years also works in Vaud.

Lost revenue

Abolishing recreational hunting would do away with licence fees estimated at 1.5 to 2 million francs annually. However, this is offset by the never-accounted-for external costs of militia hunting (wildlife accidents, hunting-related browsing damage in protective forests, administrative expenses, police and court interventions), which amount to a multiple of this revenue. In the canton of Geneva, this revenue has been forgone 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 sense of "nature experience" among recreational hunters. A full-cost accounting shows: militia hunting costs the taxpayer considerably more than it brings in (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).

The Net additional costs are likely to be between 1,000,000 and 2,200,000 francs annually, which corresponds to around1.20 to 2.70 francs per resident corresponds to. Even calculated generously: that is less than a coffee per person per year. For a canton with a total budget of around 12.7 billion francs (2024 state accounts, FFA), this amounts to less than 0.02 per cent (cf. Hunting myths fact check on wildbeimwild.com).

8. Compatibility with superior law

First article: Abolition of recreational hunting

Compliant with federal law. Art. 3 para. 1 and 2 JSG. Three equivalent hunting systems. Unchallenged in Geneva since 1974.

Second article: Protection of protected species

Art. 7a JSG permits preventive regulation but does not require it. The same applies to kill authorisations for individual animals under Art. 12 para. 2 JSG. Refraining from this violates neither federal law nor the Bern Convention.

Unity of subject matter

Ensured, as all provisions relate to cantonal wildlife management and the protection of wild animals.

9. Anticipating foreseeable objections

«Vaud is eleven times larger than Geneva, the system doesn’t work here»

The facts: Larger area, but also a larger population (815,000 vs. 500,000). The per capita costs are in the range of the Geneva level: 1.20 to 2.70 francs vs. 2.40 francs. The Vaud lowlands (Broye, Gros-de-Vaud) are the same landscape as Geneva. The Jura and the Alps are more sparsely populated with fewer conflict zones (cf. the Psychology of recreational hunting in the canton of Vaud).

Short communicative formula: «Le Plateau vaudois est le même paysage que Genève. Et les coûts par habitant sont comparables à ceux de Genève.» / «The Vaud lowlands are the same landscape as Geneva. And the per capita costs are in the range of Geneva.»

«The wolf needs recreational hunting»

The facts: The wolf regulates. Recreational hunting disrupts. Geneva has proven it for 50 years.

Short communicative formula: «Le loup régule. La chasse de loisir perturbe. Genève le prouve depuis 50 ans.»

«The costs are too high»

The facts: 1.20 to 2.70 francs per resident per year. In the range of the Geneva level. Geneva has been doing it for 50 years and has never lifted the ban.

Short communicative formula: «Moins de 3 francs par habitant et par an. Comme à Genève. Et Genève n’est jamais revenu en arrière depuis 1974.»

10. Summary

This initiative gives the population of Vaud the opportunity to support modern, evidence-based wildlife management and comprehensive protection for threatened wild animal species. The first article follows the Geneva model, which has proven itself for over 50 years. The second article specifically protects the wolf packs in the Jura and the Alps, the lynx in the Jura, and the waterbirds on Lake Geneva. As Geneva's neighbouring canton and the largest French-speaking canton in Switzerland, a success in Vaud would send a signal to the whole of French-speaking Switzerland.

Initiative committee «Pour une gestion professionnelle de la faune sauvage» / «For Professional Wildlife Protection»

[Name 1], [Name 2], [Name 3] …

(Committee members in accordance with cantonal law, resident in the Canton of Vaud)

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

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

The psychology of recreational hunting in the Canton of Vaud: wildbeimwild.com: The psychology of recreational hunting in the Canton of VD

Psychology of recreational hunting: wildbeimwild.com/category/psychologie-jagd

National parks and protected areas: wildbeimwild.com/tag/schweizerischer-nationalpark

Wild animals in settlement areas: wildbeimwild.com/tag/stadtwildtiere

Hunting myths: wildbeimwild.com/dossiers/jagdmythen

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 Vaud for preliminary review before the signature-collection period begins. For the initiative to be successful, 12,000 valid signatures are required. The collection period is 4 months from publication in the official gazette. The submission procedures are governed by the Act on the Exercise of Political Rights.

Strategic briefing for activists

Popular initiative «Pour une gestion professionnelle de la faune sauvage», Canton of Vaud Internal working document, as of March 2026

Summary

Vaud is the strategically most important French-speaking canton in the series. As a neighbour of Geneva, the largest French-speaking canton, and home to the University of Lausanne, Vaud fulfils all the necessary conditions. The cost per capita is roughly at the same level as in Geneva. 12,000 signatures in 4 months is demanding, but achievable with a population of 815,000 (1.5 per cent). Wolf, lynx, waterbirds and beaver are all present in the canton.

1. Why Vaud of all places?

Neighbouring canton of Geneva. A genuine neighbourly relationship. The same language, the same political culture.

The largest French-speaking canton. A signal effect for the whole of French-speaking Switzerland.

Wolf policy. Wolf packs in the Jura and the Alps. The species-protection clause mobilises support.

Northern shore of Lake Geneva. Waterbird habitat of national significance.

12,000 signatures. 1.5 per cent. Demanding, but achievable.

Licence hunting = a simple change of system. No lease agreements.

2. Lessons from Zurich: What we are doing differently

Positive title. «Pour une gestion professionnelle de la faune sauvage».

Geneva neighbourhood. «Genève le fait depuis 50 ans» is not an abstract reference here, but lived neighbourhood reality.

Concrete budget calculation. 1.20 to 2.70 francs per head. In the range of the Geneva level.

3. Opponent analysis and prepared responses

Counter-argument 1: «Vaud is too big»

Short communicative formula: «Le Plateau vaudois est Genève. Les coûts par habitant sont comparables.»

Counter-argument 2: «The wolf needs recreational hunting»

Short communicative formula: «Le loup régule. La chasse de loisir perturbe.»

Counter-argument 3: “The costs are too high”

Short communicative formula: «Moins de 3 francs par habitant. Comme à Genève.»

4. Communication strategy: The three core messages

«Genève le fait depuis 50 ans. Ce qui fonctionne là-bas fonctionne aussi ici.»

«Professionnel au lieu de loisir.» / «Professional instead of recreational.»

«Moins de 3 francs par personne et par an.»

5. Timetable and next steps

Phase	Content	Timeframe
Committee formation & preliminary text review	Consult a lawyer; create French version; committee members resident in VD	Month 1–4
Submission for preliminary review	Vaud State Chancellery (French text)	Month 4–5
Publication & start of signature collection	4-month deadline; target: 15,000+ signatures as a buffer; professional signature-collection organisation	Month 5
Party contacts & coalition building	PS, Verts, Vert'libéraux; Pro Natura Vaud; BirdLife Vaud; WWF Vaud; Fondation Franz Weber	Month 1–12
Submission of signatures	State Chancellery, official verification	Month 9–11
Grand Conseil debate	Parliamentary anchoring; media work	Following months
Voting campaign	Geneva neighbourhood, wolf argument, Lake Geneva waterfowl	Before the vote

6. Campaign material

• Geneva dossier on wildbeimwild.com as the central set of arguments.
• The Psychology of recreational hunting in the canton of Vaud as background material.
• Local media: 24 heures, Le Temps, La Région, La Côte, Riviera-Chablais, RTS (Radio Télévision Suisse).
• Infographic: Map of Geneva–Vaud as the Lake Geneva basin. Waterfowl on Lake Geneva. Wolf in the Jura. Cost comparison VD vs. GE.
• All campaign material in French.

7. Further sources

• Geneva's hunting ban in detail
• Scientific studies
• Hunting in Switzerland
• Psychology of recreational hunting in the canton of Vaud
• Hunting myths fact check
• Federal hunting statistics (BAFU)
• Cantonal popular initiative Basel-Stadt

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

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