Withdrawal of environmental privileges for hunting associations

Hunting associations in the canton of (………) should no longer be regarded as environmental or nature conservation organizations when they primarily represent recreational hunting and are anchored in national or European hunting lobbies. Public trust and participation rights in environmental matters should be reserved for genuine nature and animal protection organizations.

1. Motion

The cantonal government is instructed to submit a proposal to the Grand Council for amending the cantonal legal foundations that regulate the recognition, promotion and participation of environmental and nature conservation organizations. This particularly affects environmental law, planning and building law, hunting and wildlife protection law as well as any ordinances on associational appeals, hearing rights and subsidies.

The revision of laws and ordinances must particularly ensure:

that hunting associations whose main purpose lies in organizing and promoting recreational hunting and animal culling cannot in principle be recognized as environmental or nature conservation organizations in the canton of (………).
that existing regulations granting hunting associations a status as environmental organizations or comparable privileges are reviewed and, where necessary, abolished or amended. This particularly concerns:
- participation in official environmental and nature conservation bodies
- special hearing and participation rights in environmental and planning procedures
- any financial support linked to an environmental function.
that the canton establishes clear, objective criteria for recognition as environmental or nature conservation organizations, including:
- primary statutory purpose in the field of nature, landscape or animal protection
- actual activity focus in terms of protecting and promoting biodiversity, habitats and animal rights
- independence from hunting and weapons lobbies as well as from organizations whose main purpose is the utilization and killing of wild animals.
that organizations that are members or partners of superior hunting associations and hunting lobbies which primarily represent the interests of hunting and the weapons industry at national or European level cannot simultaneously be recognized as environmental or nature conservation organizations.
that the Government Council conducts an inventory of organizations that currently enjoy special environmental status in the canton and examines:
- which of these primarily represent hunting utilization interests
- which are actually predominantly committed to the protection of nature, biodiversity and animals.
that the Government Council, based on this, cleans up the recognition list and all associated privileges and in future only considers organizations that meet the new criteria.
that genuine environmental and animal protection organizations are granted at least the same or better participation rights that hunting associations have previously received by invoking an alleged environmental function.

The Government Council sets out in its message:

which hunting associations and related organizations in the canton have previously been equipped with environmental or nature conservation status or enjoy corresponding privileges
to what extent these organizations have appeared in committees, hearings and procedures
how the proposed adjustments change the composition and working methods of the relevant committees
what legal and political consequences are associated with the withdrawal of environmental privileges for hunting associations.

2. Brief Justification

Hunting associations like to present themselves to the public and politics as custodians of nature and wild animals. This self-portrayal stands in clear tension with their actual main purpose: the organization and defense of recreational hunting, the legitimization of killings and political influence in favor of hunting interests.

Hunting is not a protection measure, but a form of utilization. Hunting associations do not fundamentally advocate for the individual right to life of wild animals, but for their systematic killing. They typically represent:

the interest in the most extensive possible shooting opportunities
the maintenance or expansion of hunting privileges
the rejection of stricter animal protection regulations
the defense of traditional practices of violence against wild animals.

At the same time, hunting associations operate at cantonal, national and European levels in lobby associations that are closely linked to the weapons industry and politically fight for the relaxation of protection regulations and the dismantling of intervention restrictions. Such interests are incompatible with a credible role as an environmental or nature conservation organization.

When hunting associations sit in cantonal environmental committees, enjoy official environmental privileges or appear as environmental voices in planning procedures, this leads to multiple problems:

The public receives a distorted picture of who actually represents the interests of nature and animals.
Genuine animal protection and nature conservation organizations are weakened in their role because voices from the camp of targeted animal killings operate under the label of 'environmental protection'.
Decisions on environmental and planning issues can be influenced to the detriment of animal and habitat protection under the guise of supposed professional competence.

The concept of environmental or nature conservation organization must not be hollowed out by giving associations that primarily promote recreational hunting and animal killings the same status as organizations that primarily advocate for the protection and integrity of animals and their habitats. This is not about banning hunting associations, but about honestly naming their role.

From a hunting-critical perspective, it is also problematic that hunting associations frequently appear as supposedly neutral expert bodies in political debates, while in reality they are deeply embedded in lobby structures that defend speciesism, i.e., the structural unequal treatment of animals based solely on their species membership. An ideology that systematically degrades animals to objects of recreational violence is incompatible with the claim to represent environmental or nature conservation.

The canton (………) has the opportunity and responsibility to grant environmental status only to organizations that actually meet this claim. By withdrawing environmental privileges from hunting associations:

transparency towards the public and politics is increased
the credibility of environmental committees and participation procedures is strengthened
the influence of genuine nature and animal protection organizations vis-à-vis the hunting lobby is improved.

The motion does not demand any restriction of the freedom of expression of hunting associations. It merely demands that hunting interests become visible as such and can no longer appear under the label 'environment'.

Hunting associations in the canton (………) should no longer be considered environmental or nature conservation organizations if they primarily represent recreational killings and are anchored in national or European hunting lobbies. Public trust and participation rights in the environmental sector should be reserved for genuine nature and animal protection organizations.