St. Gallen: New Modalities for Hunting Zones

The government has submitted to the cantonal council an adjustment of the criteria for the allocation of the 140 hunting zones in the canton of St. Gallen, which takes place every eight years.

The advisory committee has deliberated on the Fifth Amendment to the Hunting Act and recommends that the cantonal council enter into the proposal. It is also submitting a committee motion.

The Fifth Amendment to the Hunting Act follows the interpellation “New Hunting Act is only partially fit for practice.” With this, the government is creating a new solution for cases where several hunting associations eligible for allocation apply for the same zone. In such cases, the zone is to be awarded to the hunting association that had already leased it during the expiring lease period. If this approach yields no result, the zone is to be awarded to the hunting association that, based on its age structure, best guarantees the fulfilment of a hunting association’s duties.

Through the amendment to the Hunting Act, the government seeks to ensure a more sustainable commitment by hunting associations to the protection, development, and improvement of habitats, as well as site-appropriate and functional ecosystems within the zones. The consultation of local political municipalities prior to allocation decisions, which has been little used in recent years, is to be dispensed with in future. Finally, hunting associations will in future be required to organise themselves as registered associations. Since most hunting associations already meet this requirement, the need for adjustment is minimal.

Under the chairmanship of Karl Güntzel, St. Gallen, the preparatory committee deliberated on the proposal. It welcomes the proposed amendments and submits no motions. However, it sees a need for action regarding compliance with the cull targets for red deer. In this context, it submits the committee motion “Adapt hunting planning for red deer,” which invites the government to create new legal foundations for the planning and management of the red deer population.

The cantonal council will deliberate on the proposal in the upcoming June session for its first reading and presumably in the September 2022 session for its second reading. The government's message and draft can be found in the Council information system under the reference number 22.22.02 . The committee motion can be accessed under the reference number 42.22.09 .