"For professional wildlife protection"

Constitutional initiative in the form of a drafted proposal

Based on § 28 of the Constitution of Canton Basel-Country of 17 May 1984 and on the Law on Political Rights (GpR)

Submitted by the initiative committee [Date of submission]

Initiative text

The undersigned persons entitled to vote in Canton Basel-Country hereby submit the following constitutional initiative:

The Constitution of Canton Basel-Country of 17 May 1984 shall be supplemented with the following paragraphs:

§ [new] Professional wildlife protection

1 The practice of hunting by private persons (territorial hunting, recreational hunting) is prohibited throughout the entire territory of Canton Basel-Country. Existing hunting lease agreements between municipalities and hunting associations shall not be renewed.

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

3 The shooting of wild animals is only permitted as a last resort, when all other suitable measures for damage prevention or hazard prevention have been exhausted or are insufficient. It requires prior approval from the wildlife commission.

4 The canton establishes an independent wildlife commission composed of representatives from animal and nature protection organizations, the scientific community, and the relevant authorities. The commission supervises wildlife management and decides on regulatory measures.

5 The canton promotes the natural regulation of wildlife populations, the networking of habitats, and the coexistence of humans and wildlife in residential and agricultural areas.

6 The canton compensates municipalities for the loss of hunting lease revenues within the framework of implementing legislation.

7 Details are regulated by law.

§ [new] Protection of endangered and protected wildlife species

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

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

3 Measures against individual wild animals that pose an immediate and significant danger to humans remain reserved. They must be limited to the minimum and carried out by the competent specialist unit of the canton.

4 The canton actively advocates for the protection and conservation of endangered wildlife species within the framework of intercantonal cooperation and vis-à-vis the federal government.

Transitional provision

1 The Government Council issues the necessary implementing provisions within two years of the adoption of this constitutional amendment.

2 Existing hunting lease contracts expire with the next regular contract renewal, but at the latest within five years of the implementing legislation taking effect.

3 The Government Council ensures continuity of wildlife management during the transition phase and regulates compensation for municipalities for lost hunting lease revenues.

Explanations

1. Initial situation

The canton of Basel-Landschaft covers 518 km² and approximately 290,000 inhabitants. It extends from the densely populated suburbs of Basel city (Arlesheim district) through the hilly midlands (Liestal and Sissach districts) to the Laufen valley (Laufen district) and the upper Basel region (Waldenburg district). Approximately 42 percent of the canton's area is forested, around 38 percent is used for agriculture.

Recreational hunting in Basel-Landschaft is organized as territory hunting. The hunting rights belong to the municipalities, which lease them to hunting societies through lease contracts. These hunting societies consist of hobby hunters who kill wild animals as a recreational activity. The territory hunting system creates a particularly problematic dynamic: the hunting societies are locally anchored, often personally intertwined with municipal councils and civic communities, and form closed circles to which outsiders have little insight (cf. the critical analysis of hunting education on wildbeimwild.com as well as the psychology of hunting in the canton of Basel-Landschaft).

The claim that the ecological balance would collapse without recreational hunting has been empirically refuted by the Geneva model for over 50 years (cf. the comprehensive dossier on the Geneva hunting ban on wildbeimwild.com). Recreational hunting serves neither species protection nor contemporary wildlife management. It is the practice of a bloody recreational pastime at the expense of sentient beings, legitimized by outdated narratives that do not withstand scientific scrutiny.

In parallel, more and more protected wildlife species are coming under pressure at the federal level. With the revision of the Hunting Act in December 2022, preventive regulation of the wolf was introduced. In the two regulation periods to date, 2023/2024 and 2024/2025, FOEN has approved the shooting of a total of around 225 wolves; 147 animals were actually killed. In December 2024, the wolf's protection status in the Bern Convention was downgraded from 'strictly protected' to 'protected'. Political pressure on other species such as lynx, beaver, otter and goosander is steadily increasing (see the Analysis of hunting policy on wildbeimwild.com).

The canton of Basel-Landschaft has the opportunity, together with the neighboring canton of Basel-Stadt, to set a clear signal: for professional wildlife protection instead of hobby hunting and for the consistent protection of endangered wildlife species at the cantonal level.

2. The model: Canton of Geneva

On May 19, 1974, around two-thirds of voters in the canton of Geneva voted to abolish militia hobby hunting. Before the ban, big game in the canton was practically extinct: deer and wild boar had disappeared for decades, and only a few dozen roe deer remained. Around 300 hobby hunters massively released pheasants, partridges and hares for hobby hunting.

The experiences since the hobby hunting ban are clear:

– Biodiversity has increased markedly. The number of overwintering waterfowl has multiplied from a few hundred to around 30,000. The area of Lake Geneva and the Rhône gained international significance for bird protection.

– Geneva today hosts the largest brown hare population and one of the last partridge populations in Switzerland. Before the 1974 vote, the hobby hunting lobby had claimed that the brown hare would be wiped out by predators without hobby hunting. The opposite has occurred.

– The canton now has a growing population of around 60 to 100 red deer and around 680 roe deer (2024, according to federal hunting statistics FOEN). The roe deer population has doubled since 2015 from around 330 to 680 animals, with an annual special cull by professional wardens of only 20 to 36 animals. Professional wildlife management intervenes selectively and to a minimal extent, instead of aiming for the highest possible kill numbers as in hobby hunting.

– In 2005, 90 percent of Geneva voters spoke out in favor of maintaining the hobby hunting ban in another referendum. In 2009, a motion for reintroduction was rejected in the cantonal parliament by 70 to 7 votes.

– The total costs of professional wildlife management in Geneva amount to around 1.2 million francs annually, divided into around 600,000 francs for personnel (approx. 3 full-time positions), around 250,000 francs for prevention and around 350,000 francs for damage compensation. This corresponds to around 2.40 francs per inhabitant per year. The efficiency of the Geneva model is shown in direct comparison: A professional warden in Geneva needs 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 needs 60 to 80 hours and up to 15 cartridges for this. The brown hare density in Geneva is 17.7 animals per 100 hectares (highest in Switzerland), in the canton of Zurich only 1.0 per 100 hectares (see Fact-check Government Council Zurich).

A detailed presentation of the Geneva model with all figures can be found in the Dossier 'Geneva and the hunting ban' on wildbeimwild.com.

3. The concept: Professional wildlife management instead of hobby hunting

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

Professional competence instead of recreational activity. Professional wildlife managers act on a scientific basis, with biological training and within the framework of a cantonal service mandate. Their goal is the conservation of healthy wildlife populations, not the maximization of kill numbers. In contrast, recreational hunting systemically pursues the interest of securing its own raison d'être through high populations of huntable species (cf. the critical analysis of hunting education on wildbeimwild.com).

Ultima ratio principle. A kill is only permissible when all non-lethal measures have been exhausted. These include electric fences, deterrence, habitat modification, relocation, taste repellents and structural protective measures. In Geneva, fruit trees are protected with nets so that deer and hares do not strip bark. For wild boar, the canton provides farmers with electric fences. This practice demonstrates that coexistence is a question of will, not technical possibility.

Democratic control through a wildlife commission. The independent commission, composed of animal and nature protection organizations, science and authorities, prevents political pressure from individual interest groups from undermining wildlife management. The Basel initiative constitutionally anchors this protective mechanism by establishing the mandatory approval requirement of the wildlife commission.

Natural self-regulation as guiding principle. Experience from Geneva, from national parks and from numerous scientific studies proves: wildlife populations regulate themselves autonomously in most cases. Recreational hunting disrupts this natural process by destroying social structures, artificially increasing reproduction rates and altering migration patterns.

4. Why Basel-Landschaft?

Basel-Landschaft is particularly suitable for introducing professional wildlife protection for several reasons:

Lowest signature threshold. For a cantonal popular initiative in Basel-Landschaft, only 1,500 valid signatures are required, with a collection period of 24 months (2 years). This is one of the lowest thresholds in Switzerland and realistically achievable.

Shared administrative structure with Basel-Stadt. Basel-Landschaft and Basel-Stadt jointly operate the Office for Forest and Wildlife of both Basel cantons. This existing structure significantly simplifies the system change: the institutional basis for professional wildlife management already exists. Should Basel-Stadt accept the parallel initiative, a unified system would emerge across the entire Basel metropolitan area.

Manageable area. At 518 km², Basel-Landschaft is the third smallest canton by area in German-speaking Switzerland. The conversion is practically manageable and financially sustainable. The concrete costs are outlined in section 7.

Hunting concessions as weak point. The hunting concession system in Basel-Landschaft is a system of closed circles. Hunting rights belong to municipalities, which lease them to hunting associations. These associations determine themselves who is admitted and form local power structures that are neither democratically legitimized nor professionally controlled. The population has virtually no influence on who kills which wildlife in their municipality, in what numbers and according to what criteria. The initiative returns this control to the population (cf. the Psychology of hunting in Canton Basel-Landschaft).

Urbanization trend. The district of Arlesheim, where over 40 percent of the canton's population lives, is almost completely urbanized and directly borders the city of Basel. Urbanization is also increasing in the remaining districts. Hunting cultural tradition is less deeply rooted in Basel-Landschaft than in alpine cantons.

Signal effect. A success in Basel-Landschaft would, following Geneva and possibly Basel-City, represent another Swiss example of professional wildlife protection. A double success in both Basel cantons would have a signal effect extending far beyond the region.

5. On the first paragraph: Professional wildlife protection

Paragraph 1 – Ban on recreational hunting and end of hunting lease contracts

The ban on recreational hunting by private individuals is the core of the initiative. It corresponds to the Geneva model (Art. 162 of the Geneva cantonal constitution). The cantonal competence for this is undisputed: the federal hunting law (JSG) expressly leaves the organization of hunting operations to the cantons (Art. 3 Para. 1 JSG). The three hunting systems in Switzerland – patent hunting, district hunting and state or managed hunting – are equivalent. The canton of Geneva has practiced managed hunting since 1974 in compliance with federal law.

The addition regarding non-renewal of hunting lease contracts is specific and necessary for Basel-Landschaft because, unlike Basel-City, a comprehensive leasing system exists here. The formulation respects existing contractual obligations by not demanding immediate termination, but allowing contracts to expire at the next ordinary renewal date.

Paragraph 2 – Professional wildlife management

Instead of hobby hunters, professionally trained wildlife managers in cantonal service take over all tasks of wildlife care and, where necessary, population regulation. The existing Forest and Wildlife Office of both Basel cantons offers the ideal institutional platform for establishing these specialist positions.

Paragraph 3 – Culling as ultima ratio

The central innovation compared to the current system: culling is not the rule, but the exception. Passive measures take priority. In Geneva, wildlife wardens cull an average of around 250 wild boar annually, with leading animals explicitly protected for ethical reasons and to maintain the social stability of the herds. Culling numbers are thus considerably lower than in comparable cantons with recreational hunting, where culling serves not only damage prevention but primarily the hobby.

Paragraph 4 – Wildlife commission

The independent wildlife commission is modeled on the Geneva example. It ensures that animal and nature protection organizations have a say in regulatory decisions and prevents the government from independently approving exceptions under pressure from interest groups. The involvement of science ensures that decisions are evidence-based and not founded on the hunting ideological myths with which the recreational hunting lobby has legitimized its practice for decades.

Paragraph 5 – Natural regulation and coexistence

In Basel-Landschaft, the networking of habitats is particularly important: the canton lies in the tension between the densely populated agglomeration belt and the still relatively intact forest areas of the Jura. Wildlife corridors between these landscape areas are indispensable for genetic diversity and the natural dispersal of species. The current system of district hunting additionally fragments these corridors because each hunting society manages its district independently, without overall coordination across district boundaries (cf. wildbeimwild.com on wildlife in settlement areas).

Paragraph 6 – Compensation for municipalities

This paragraph is specific and central for Basel-Landschaft as a hunting lease canton. In the hunting lease system, lease revenues flow to the municipalities. These revenues are fiscally insignificant for most municipalities – annual lease fees per district typically range in the low five-figure bracket – but are instrumentalized by municipal politicians as an argument against system change. The initiative addresses this objection by constitutionally guaranteeing cantonal compensation for the loss of lease income.

Transitional provisions

The two-year deadline for implementing legislation corresponds to the Basel-Stadt model. The addition to the expiry clause for hunting lease contracts is specific to Basel-Landschaft: Existing contracts are not immediately terminated, but expire with the next regular renewal date, at the latest within five years. This generous transition period respects existing contractual relationships and gives municipalities sufficient time for the transition.

6. On the second paragraph: Protection of threatened and protected wildlife species

Paragraph 1 – Renunciation of preventive regulation of protected species

The core of this paragraph is the canton's deliberate renunciation of the possibility to submit applications to the federal government for preventive population regulation of protected species. The revised federal hunting law (Art. 7a JSG) authorizes cantons for preventive regulation but does not oblige them to do so. With this paragraph, the canton merely exercises its competence not to make use of a federal authorization.

This is particularly important for Basel-Landschaft, where several protected species actually occur or are spreading: The beaver is documented along the Birs, the Ergolz and other waterways. The lynx occurs in the Jura region of the canton. The return of the otter to northwestern Switzerland is foreseeable (cf. the Analysis of wolf policy on wildbeimwild.com).

Paragraph 2 – Coexistence and passive damage prevention

Instead of culling, the canton focuses on preventive, non-lethal measures. In Basel-Landschaft, this particularly affects coexistence with the beaver, whose dams and digging activities occasionally lead to conflicts with agriculture and flood protection. Professional beaver management following the Geneva model relies on structural protective measures, drainage systems and, where appropriate, professional relocation, not on culling.

Paragraph 3 – Reservation for hazard prevention

This reservation ensures that the canton can fulfill its duty of hazard prevention. The double restriction – 'immediate' and 'significant' – prevents the reservation from being misused as a gateway for routine culling.

Paragraph 4 – Active protection policy towards the federal government

This paragraph obliges the canton to actively advocate for species protection in inter-cantonal cooperation and in consultations on federal ordinances. Basel-Landschaft could, together with Basel-Stadt as a twin canton, form a clear voice for the protection of threatened species in the national debate.

7. Cost implications: Concrete budget for Basel-Landschaft

The Geneva reference budget

In Geneva, which at 282 km² is about half the size of Basel-Landschaft and has around 500,000 inhabitants, the total costs of professional wildlife management amount to around 1.2 million francs annually: around 600,000 francs for personnel (approx. 3 full-time positions), around 250,000 francs for prevention and around 350,000 francs for damage compensation.

Extrapolation for Basel-Landschaft

For Basel-Landschaft with 518 km² area and around 290,000 inhabitants, the following realistic cost estimate emerges:

Personnel costs: 360,000 to 480,000 francs annually. Required are 3 to 4 full-time positions for professional wildlife managers. A full-time position in cantonal service costs around 120,000 to 140,000 francs annually, including social contributions and employer overhead costs. These specialists can be housed within the existing Office for Forests and Wildlife of both Basel cantons.

Material costs: 80,000 to 120,000 francs annually. This includes equipment, vehicles, deterrent devices, monitoring infrastructure (camera traps, GPS transmitters), electric fences for agricultural operations, tree protection and public relations work.

Damage compensation: 50,000 to 100,000 francs annually. Primarily wild boar damage to crops, browsing damage by deer in forests and occasional beaver damage to riverbank embankments.

Municipal compensation: 100,000 to 200,000 francs annually. Municipal hunting lease revenues typically range in the low five-figure range per hunting ground.

Lost revenues

With the abolition of hobby hunting, lease revenues from ground hunting of an estimated 200,000 to 400,000 francs annually would be eliminated. However, these are offset by the never-accounted external costs of militia hunting – wildlife accidents, hunting-related browsing damage in protective forests, administrative overhead, police and court interventions – which amount to several times these revenues. In the Canton of Geneva, these revenues have been eliminated since 1974 – without 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 game wardens is not the same as regulatory hunting based on hunters' folklore or hobby hunters' misunderstood 'nature experience'. A full cost accounting shows: Militia hunting costs taxpayers significantly more than it brings in (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 opposed 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. In the legislative period 2015 to 2019, hobby hunters in parliament voted predominantly against environmental concerns. Anyone claiming hobby hunters are conservationists ignores their voting behavior (cf. Ticino Hunters' Association: 30 Years of Nonsense and Cost Dossier).

Total costs: 590,000 to 900,000 francs annually. This corresponds to around 2.00 to 3.10 francs per inhabitant per year (gross).

Savings and net additional costs

This is offset by savings: The canton no longer needs to operate hunting lease administration, conduct hunting examinations or organize hunting supervision. Geneva's fauna inspector Dandliker points out that organizing a patent hunt would require at least two full-time positions; for administering ground hunting with its lease contracts, territory planning and harvest plan controls, the effort would likely be comparable. A realistic estimate of net additional costs is 300,000 to 500,000 francs annually, which corresponds to around 1.00 to 1.70 francs per inhabitant.

8. Compatibility with higher-level law

The initiative conforms to federal law. The federal Hunting Act (JSG) explicitly leaves the regulation of hunting rights, hunting systems, hunting areas and hunting supervision to the cantons (Art. 3 Para. 1 JSG). The three hunting systems – patent hunting, ground hunting and state hunting – are equivalent. The Canton of Geneva has practiced state hunting since 1974 and has never experienced a federal law complaint in over 50 years.

The termination of hunting lease contracts through non-renewal does not affect property rights guarantees, as hunting lease contracts are time-limited public-law contracts with no legal entitlement to renewal. The generous transition period of up to five years respects protection of legitimate expectations.

Article 7a JSG enables cantons to implement preventive regulation but does not oblige them to do so. Forgoing this option violates neither federal law nor the Bern Convention. The initiative maintains subject matter unity, as all provisions relate to cantonal wildlife management and protection of wild animals.

9. Anticipating predictable objections

'Basel-Landschaft is not an urban canton – the Geneva model won't work here'

The facts: Geneva, at 282 km², is about half the size of Basel-Landschaft and also has considerable agricultural areas, including viticulture, arable farming and grassland. Wild boar density in Geneva remains stable at around 5 animals per km² of forest area, with culling by professional wildlife wardens averaging around 250 animals per year. The system functions even in a landscape with mixed land use.

Communication key message: 'Geneva has vineyards, fields and forests – and professional wildlife protection has functioned there for 50 years. Basel-Landschaft is no larger than Geneva.'

'Municipalities lose their lease revenues'

The facts: Hunting lease revenues are fiscally marginal for most municipalities. The initiative provides for cantonal compensation for the loss of lease income (paragraph 6). There can be no talk of expropriation: municipalities' hunting rights are not abolished, but rather the right to lease to private parties is replaced by professional enforcement.

Communication key message: 'Lease revenues constitute less than one percent of a typical municipal budget. The initiative compensates municipalities – and wildlife will no longer be killed for recreational entertainment.'

'Hunting societies provide valuable services to municipalities'

The facts: Hunting societies are contractually obligated to provide these services – they do not do so as a favor, but as consideration for the right to kill wildlife. In a professional system, these tasks are better placed: professional wildlife managers conduct carcass recovery, tracking wounded animals, and damage prevention as part of their mandate, with better training and without the systemic conflict of interest inherent in hobby hunting (see Analysis of hunting myths on wildbeimwild.com).

Communication key message: 'Hunting societies do not provide ‹unpaid service›. They fulfill a contractual obligation – in exchange for the right to kill wildlife. Professional specialists can do this better, more independently and without conflicts of interest.'

10. The Forest and Wildlife Office of Both Basel: Opportunity rather than obstacle

Basel-Landschaft and Basel-Stadt jointly operate the Forest and Wildlife Office of Both Basel. This binational structure is not an obstacle to the initiative, but rather a special opportunity. Should Basel-Stadt adopt the parallel initiative, a unified professional wildlife management system would emerge across the entire Greater Basel region. Should only Basel-Landschaft adopt the initiative, the delineation of responsibilities is regulated by the existing state treaty and administrative agreement. Experience from Geneva shows that professional wildlife management can be integrated into existing administrative structures without creating a new authority.

11. Summary

This initiative gives the Basel-Landschaft population the opportunity to advocate for modern, evidence-based wildlife management and comprehensive protection of threatened wildlife species. The first paragraph follows the Geneva model, proven for over 50 years, and replaces hunting concessions with professional wildlife protection – at net additional costs of around 1.00 to 1.70 francs per inhabitant per year. The second paragraph ensures that the Canton of Basel-Landschaft refrains from preventive killing of protected species and instead actively commits to their conservation.

The result would be a Basel-Landschaft where wildlife are neither targets for hobby hunters nor victims of politically motivated culling policies, but are professionally protected as part of a living cultural landscape – for the benefit of the animals and the entire population.

Initiative Committee 'For Professional Wildlife Protection'

[Name 1], [Name 2], [Name 3] …

(Committee members according to cantonal law, with residence in the canton)

Contact address: [Committee address]

Appendix: Further documentation

Geneva Model in detail: wildbeimwild.com/dossiers/genf-und-das-jagdverbot – Comprehensive presentation of Geneva wildlife management since 1974 with costs, population numbers and biodiversity development.

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

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

Psychology of hunting in the Canton of Basel-Landschaft: wildbeimwild.com – Psychologie der Jagd im Kanton BL – Motives, justifications and social dynamics of recreational hunting in Basel-Landschaft.

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 on wolf policy in Switzerland.

Wildlife and predators: wildbeimwild.com/category/wildtiere – Information on wildlife, predators and on the coexistence of humans and wildlife.

Hunting myths: wildbeimwild.com/dossiers/jagdmythen – Fact-check on the most common claims of the recreational hunting lobby.

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

Note on procedure

Before beginning signature collection, the signature list must be submitted to the State Chancellery of Canton Basel-Landschaft for preliminary review. The initiative committee consists of at least 7 eligible voters with residence in Canton Basel-Landschaft. For the initiative to succeed, 1,500 valid signatures are required. The collection period is 24 months from publication in the official gazette. The submission procedures are governed by the law on political rights of Canton Basel-Landschaft.

Strategic briefing for activists

Popular initiative 'For Professional Wildlife Protection' – Canton Basel-Landschaft Internal working document – Status March 2026

Summary

Basel-Landschaft is the strategically second most important canton after Basel-Stadt for an initiative 'For Professional Wildlife Protection'. The signature threshold of 1,500 is extremely low, the joint Office for Forest and Wildlife offers an institutional bridge, and a double success in both Basel cantons would have a signal effect reaching far beyond the region. The greatest challenge is the stronger entrenchment of hunting concessions in the rural part of the canton.

1. Why Basel-Landschaft?

The lowest threshold in German-speaking Switzerland (after AR). In Basel-Landschaft, only 1,500 valid signatures are required for a cantonal popular initiative, with a collection period of 24 months (2 years). The 1,500 signatures are realistically achievable in a canton with almost 300,000 inhabitants.

The bridge between city and countryside. Basel-Landschaft is neither a pure urban canton nor a mountain canton. It is an agglomeration canton with urban, suburban and rural areas. This exact mix makes it the ideal test case: If professional wildlife protection works here, it works in every canton in the Swiss Plateau.

The joint authority as trump card. The Forestry and Wildlife Authority of both Basel cantons is already the institutional basis for wildlife management in both half-cantons. The system change requires no new authority, but rather the reallocation of existing resources.

The hunting lease system as Achilles' heel. The system of closed lease societies can be portrayed as undemocratic and non-transparent. The population has no influence on who kills wildlife in their municipality. The initiative gives the population back this control.

2. Lessons from Zurich – and why BL is different

Zurich's mistake 1: Confrontational title. «Gamekeepers instead of hunters» defined itself by its opponent. Our title «For professional wildlife protection» is positive.

Zurich's mistake 2: The cost argument remained unanswered. The alleged 20 million francs were never substantiated. Our initiative contains a detailed budget calculation: net additional costs of around 1.00 to 1.70 francs per inhabitant.

Zurich's mistake 3: No party support. In the cantonal parliament, the result was 165:0 against. In Basel-Landschaft, the starting position is different: SP, Greens and GLP are well represented in the Landrat.

The decisive difference to Zurich: Basel-Landschaft has 518 km², less than a third of Zurich's area (1,729 km²). The cost calculation is completely different: In Zurich, the opposition could create fear with amounts in the millions. In Basel-Landschaft, we're talking about under one million francs.

3. The second paragraph as coalition broadening

The species protection paragraph mobilizes beyond the traditional animal protection scene. Particularly relevant for Basel-Landschaft:

Beavers on the Birs and Ergolz. The beaver is present in the canton and is predominantly perceived positively by the population. Since February 2025, however, it may be shot nationwide upon cantonal request. The initiative protects the beaver in the canton.

Lynx in the Jura. The lynx occurs in the Jurassian part of the canton. Its presence is a sign of intact ecosystems.

Fishing associations as allies. The debate about goosander culling also affects fishermen who depend on intact aquatic ecosystems.

4. Opponent analysis

The hunting societies are those directly affected. Their strength is their local anchoring in the municipalities. Their weakness is that they are perceived as exclusive, non-transparent clubs. The question «Who determines in your municipality which animals are killed?» is communicatively strong.

The municipalities will complain about the loss of lease income. The answer: The amounts are marginal, and the initiative provides for cantonal compensation.

The cantonal hunters' association will try to discredit the initiative as «urban green» and «detached from reality.» The answer: Geneva, with its vineyards and fields, has proven the opposite for 50 years.

5. Communication strategy: The three core messages

«Geneva has been demonstrating it for 50 years.» The strongest argument: not a thought experiment, but 50 years of lived practice. More biodiversity, stable populations, 90 percent approval in the 2005 follow-up survey.

«Professional instead of hobby.» The question is not whether wildlife is managed, but by whom: by professionals in the public interest or by private individuals as a leisure activity.

"Less than two francs per year." The net additional costs amount to approximately 1.00 to 1.70 francs per inhabitant. Less than half a coffee.

6. Timeline

Phase	Content	Timeframe
Committee formation & text review	Engage lawyer; recruit at least 7 voting committee members with BL residence	Month 1–3
Coordination with Basel-Stadt	Coordination with potential BS initiative committee; plan joint media work	Month 1–6
Submission for review	State Chancellery Basel-Landschaft	Month 3–4
Publication & collection start	24-month deadline begins with publication in official gazette; Goal: 2,000+ signatures as buffer	Month 4
Party contacts & coalition building	Early talks SP, Greens, GLP; secure letters of support; involve nature conservation associations	Month 1–12
Submission of signatures	State Chancellery, official verification	Month 19–21
Parliamentary debate	Parliamentary anchoring; intensify media work	Month 22–30
Voting campaign	Final mobilization, infographics, media presence	Month 30–36

7. Campaign material

• The Geneva dossier on wildbeimwild.com as central argument collection. The scientific studies prepared for media discussions.
• The Psychology of hunting in Canton Basel-Landschaft as background material for media contacts.
• Infographics: Cost comparison BL/GE per inhabitant, biodiversity development Geneva, "50 years of success".
• Local media: Basler Zeitung (bz), Volksstimme, Oberbaselbieter Zeitung, Telebasel.
• Municipality-specific factsheets: For each municipality with hunting grounds, compare concrete lease income with compensation claims.

8. Further sources

• Geneva hunting ban in detail
• Scientific studies
• Hunting in Switzerland: Criticism, facts, news
• Wolf dossier
• Hunting myths fact-check
• Psychology of hunting in Canton Basel-Landschaft
• Federal hunting statistics (BAFU)
• Cantonal popular initiative Basel-Stadt "For professional wildlife protection"

This document is a template text from IG Wild beim Wild. It can be freely used by activists, organizations or initiative committees and adapted to conditions in Canton Basel-Landschaft.

Fact-check: The claims of the hobby hunting lobby

The brochure "Hunting in Switzerland protects and benefits" by JagdSchweiz reads like an advertising prospectus – but the central claims do not withstand fact-checking. Ten narratives under scrutiny, from "state duty" via "species diversity" to "80% approval": Dossier: Fact-check JagdSchweiz brochure →