Cantonal popular initiative: Canton of Bern

«For professional wildlife protection»

Constitutional initiative in the form of a drafted proposal

Based on Article 58 of the Constitution of the Canton of Bern of 6 June 1993 and on the Act on Political Rights (PRG)

Submitted by the initiative committee [date of submission]

Note: The Canton of Bern is bilingual. For submission, the text of the initiative must be available in German and French. The French version must be verified by a legal professional prior to submission.

Text of the initiative

The undersigned persons eligible to vote in the Canton of Bern hereby submit the following constitutional initiative:

The Constitution of the Canton of Bern of 6 June 1993 is supplemented by the following article:

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 Bern.

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 cantonal government 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 cantonal government shall ensure continuity of wildlife management during the transitional phase.

Explanatory notes

1. Starting position

In the Canton of Bern, the second-largest canton in Switzerland by area and the second most populous with around 1,060,000 inhabitants across 5,959 km², today's recreational hunting is a system that serves neither species protection nor contemporary wildlife management. It is the exercise of a bloody leisure pursuit at the expense of sentient beings, legitimised by outdated narratives that do not withstand scientific scrutiny. The claim that the ecological balance would collapse without recreational hunting has been empirically refuted by the Geneva model for over 50 years (see the comprehensive dossier on the Geneva hunting ban on wildbeimwild.com).

In Bern, recreational hunting is organised as licence hunting. Private individuals purchase a cantonal licence and hunt without fixed responsibility for a hunting ground. With over 3,000 active licence holders, Bern has one of the largest recreational hunting communities in Switzerland. Contrary to the widespread claim, licence holders do not assume ecological responsibility but act within the framework of cantonal kill quotas, which are primarily geared towards the interests of forestry and agriculture (see the The Psychology of Recreational Hunting in the Canton of Bern as well as the critical analysis of hunting training on wildbeimwild.com).

At the same time, increasing numbers of protected wild animal species are coming under pressure at federal level. The revision of the Hunting Act in December 2022 introduced the pre-emptive regulation of the wolf. Since February 2025, cantons have been able to authorise the killing of individual beavers causing substantial damage (Art. 9d JSV). Political pressure on further species such as lynx, otter and goosander is steadily increasing. The canton of Bern is directly affected by wolf policy: several wolf packs have been documented in the Bernese Oberland and the Simmental. The lynx has been native to the Bernese Jura and the Pre-Alps for decades. The beaver inhabits the Aare, the Emme and numerous other waterways. The golden eagle breeds in the Oberland. Thanks to its range of elevations from the Seeland to the high mountains, Bern is one of the most species-rich cantons in Switzerland (see the analysis of hunting policy on wildbeimwild.com and the wolf policy on wildbeimwild.com).

The canton of Bern 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 wild animal species at cantonal level. As the canton of the federal capital, this signal would have an impact reaching far beyond the canton's borders.

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 kill by professional game wardens of only 20 to 36 animals. The population moves within a density that is sustainable for the forest area.
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.

The long-serving Geneva fauna inspector Gottlieb Dandliker (2001 to 2025) described the recreational hunting ban as the most financially favourable alternative for the canton. A detailed account can be found in the dossier «Geneva and the hunting ban» on wildbeimwild.com.

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, with biological training and within the framework of a cantonal service mandate. Their goal is the preservation of healthy wildlife populations, not the maximisation of kill numbers (see the critical analysis of hunting training on wildbeimwild.com).

Last-resort principle. A kill is only permitted once all non-lethal measures have been exhausted. These include electric fences, deterrence, habitat design, relocation, taste repellents and structural protective measures. In Geneva, fruit trees are protected with netting to prevent roe deer and hares from gnawing the bark. For wild boars, the canton provides farmers with electric fences. This practice shows that coexistence is a matter of will, not technical feasibility.

Democratic oversight through a wildlife commission. The independent commission, made up of animal welfare and nature conservation organisations, science and authorities, prevents political pressure from individual interest groups from diluting wildlife management. The initiative enshrines the approval requirement at constitutional level.

Natural self-regulation as a guiding principle. Experience from Geneva, from national parks and from numerous scientific Studies has proven: wildlife populations regulate themselves in most cases. Recreational hunting disrupts this natural process by destroying social structures, artificially increasing reproduction rates and altering migratory movements.

4. Why Bern?

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

The most populous licence-hunting canton in Switzerland. With over a million inhabitants, Bern is the most populous licence-hunting canton in the country and, at 5,959 km², the second-largest after Grisons. If professional wildlife protection works here, it works everywhere. The canton combines all of Switzerland's landscape types: Jura (Bernese Jura, Biel/Bienne), Mittelland (Bern, Thun, Burgdorf, Langenthal) and the Alps (Bernese Oberland with Jungfrau, Eiger, Mönch). The system change is administratively simpler than in territorial-hunting cantons, since no hunting lease contracts need to be dissolved and no municipalities need to be compensated.

Federal capital effect. The Federal Palace is located in Bern. An initiative in the canton of Bern has a media reach that extends beyond the canton. The federal political debate on hunting policy is directly influenced by a cantonal initiative in Bern. A success in Bern would send a signal to national politics that no other canton except Zurich can send with this strength.

Wolf policy as a mobilisation issue. The canton of Bern is directly affected by the return of the wolf. Several wolf packs have been documented in the Bernese Oberland and in the Simmental. The controversial wolf kills have politicised the debate. The initiative offers a constitutional answer to the wolf debate: professional wildlife management instead of politically motivated kills. The second paragraph on species protection makes the initiative attractive to conservation organisations, which have so far been on the defensive in the wolf debate (cf. the wolf policy on wildbeimwild.com).

Bilingualism as a bridge. The canton of Bern is bilingual: German and French (Bernese Jura, Biel/Bienne). The initiative links the German-speaking Swiss and the French-speaking Swiss debates. In the Bernese Jura and in Biel/Bienne, the Geneva experience is culturally and linguistically directly accessible. The core messages must work in both German and French.

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

Beaver on the Aare and Emme. The beaver is documented along the Aare, the Emme and numerous other waterways. Since February 2025, cantons have been able to authorise the killing of individual beavers that cause significant damage. The initiative protects the beaver in the canton (see wildbeimwild.com on predators).

15,000 signatures in 6 months. The hurdle is the highest in the series. With 1’060’000 inhabitants, it is proportionally feasible (1.4 per cent). That is around 83 signatures per day. Efficient collection is possible in Bern, Thun, Biel, Burgdorf and Langenthal. Professional collection organisation is crucial from day one.

5. On the text of the initiative

Paragraph 1: Ban on recreational hunting

The ban on licence hunting by private individuals is at the core of the initiative. It corresponds to the Geneva model. The cantonal competence for this is uncontested: the Federal Hunting Act (JSG) explicitly leaves the organisation of hunting operations to the cantons (Art. 3 para. 1 and 2 JSG). Switzerland's three hunting systems (licence hunting, territorial hunting and state-run hunting) are equivalent. The canton of Geneva has practised state-run hunting in compliance with federal law since 1974. Unlike in territorial-hunting cantons, no hunting lease agreements need to be dissolved and no municipalities need to be compensated in Bern: existing licences expire and fees already paid are reimbursed proportionally.

Paragraph 2: Professional wildlife management

Instead of recreational hunters, professionally trained wildlife managers employed by the canton take over all tasks of wildlife care and, where necessary, population regulation. These specialists have a more comprehensive biological or wildlife-ecological education and act on a scientific basis and in the public interest. In Geneva, this system has proven itself for over 50 years.

Paragraph 3: Kill as a last resort

The central innovation compared to the current system: a kill is not the rule, but the exception. Passive measures take priority. In Geneva, an average of around 250 wild boars are killed annually by game wardens (according to FOEN hunting statistics), mainly young animals, with lead animals explicitly spared for ethical reasons and to preserve the social stability of the sounders.

Paragraph 4: Wildlife commission

The independent wildlife commission is modelled on Geneva's commission for the regulation of fauna (Commission consultative de régulation de la faune). It ensures that animal welfare and nature conservation organisations have a say in regulation decisions and prevents the government from approving exceptions on its own and under pressure from interest groups. The involvement of science ensures that decisions are evidence-based and do not rest on the hunting-ideological myths with which the recreational hunting lobby has legitimised its practice for decades.

Paragraph 5: Natural regulation and coexistence

This paragraph enshrines the guiding principle of professional wildlife protection in the constitution. In Bern, promoting coexistence includes, in particular, securing and connecting wildlife corridors along the Aare and the Emme, the ecological enhancement of floodplain landscapes in the Seeland and Emmental regions, the protective forest in the Bernese Oberland, and educating the public on how to behave towards wild animals.

Second article: Protection of endangered species

The second article on the protection of protected species is particularly relevant for Bern. The wolf is present in the Oberland and Simmental. The lynx is native to the Bernese Jura and the Pre-Alps. The beaver inhabits the Aare and the Emme. The golden eagle breeds in the Oberland. Waterfowl overwinter on the numerous lakes. The phrase “in particular” is designed as a dynamic reference to federal law and also protects future returning species (cf. the wolf policy on wildbeimwild.com).

Transitional provisions

The two-year deadline gives the cantonal government sufficient time to draft the implementing legislation, hire professional wildlife managers and establish the wildlife commission. The existing hunting inspectorate of the canton of Bern can serve as an institutional basis. The system change from licence hunting to state-run hunting is administratively simpler than in territorial-hunting cantons: no lease agreements need to be terminated and no municipalities need to be compensated. Important: the canton of Bern is bilingual. For submission, the initiative text must be available in both German and French.

6. Cost implications: Concrete budget for Bern

The Geneva reference budget

In Geneva, which at 282 km² is around twenty times smaller than the canton of Bern and has around 500,000 inhabitants, total costs amount to approximately CHF 1.2 million annually.

Conservative projection for Bern

For Bern, with an area of 5,959 km² and around 1,060,000 inhabitants, the following deliberately conservative cost estimate applies. It is generously calculated and takes into account the alpine topography of the Bernese Oberland, the build-up of herd protection and the transitional management of red deer:

Personnel costs: CHF 1,800,000 to 3,080,000 annually. 15 to 22 full-time positions are required. Bern is around twenty times larger than Geneva and topographically extremely diverse: from the Mittelland (Seeland, Emmental) through the pre-Alps (Gantrisch, Simmental) to the high mountains (Bernese Oberland, Jungfrau-Aletsch). While the Mittelland is directly comparable to Geneva, the Bernese Oberland requires specialists with alpine experience. The wolf is documented in the Bernese Oberland. In addition, there is the transitional management of red deer.

Material costs: 350’000 to 600’000 francs annually. Equipment, vehicles, monitoring infrastructure, herd protection materials, structural protective measures and public relations work in two languages (German and French for the Bernese Jura).

Damage compensation: CHF 200,000 to 400,000 annually. Wild boar damage in agriculture, browsing damage in forests, beaver damage to waterways and any wolf predation damage.

Herd protection start-up investment: CHF 600,000 to 1,000,000. In the first three to five years after the system change, a one-off start-up investment in herd protection infrastructure is needed for the Bernese Oberland and the Simmental: livestock guardian dog programmes, mobile fencing, night-time enclosures, training of herders. This investment is non-recurring and is amortised over three to five years. In the Mittelland region (Seeland, Emmental), these costs are not necessary.

Total costs: 2,350,000 to 4,080,000 francs annually (gross, excluding the one-off herd protection start-up investment). This corresponds to around 2.20 to 3.85 francs per resident per year.

Transitional management of red deer

The red deer is present in large populations in the Bernese Oberland. Compensatory reproduction (the reproduction rate artificially increased by hunting pressure) prevents a sustainable reduction of the populations. The scientific literature clearly documents this effect: high hunting pressure leads to earlier sexual maturity, larger litters and higher survival rates of young animals. Once hunting pressure is removed, the reproduction rate normalises within three to five years. This transitional management is already factored into the higher staff numbers (cf. studies on wildbeimwild.com).

Savings and counter-financing

This is offset by considerable savings: the canton no longer has to administer hunting examinations, issue and manage licences, draw up kill quotas, or organise hunting supervision. Bern has one of the largest recreational hunting communities in Switzerland: the administrative costs are correspondingly high. In addition, there are the costs for wolf kills (helicopter deployments, coordination, legal proceedings).

Lost revenue

With the abolition of recreational hunting, licence fees of an estimated 1.5 to 2.5 million francs annually will be lost. However, this is offset by the never-balanced external costs of militia hunting (wildlife accidents, hunting-related browsing damage in protective forests, administrative expenses, police and court operations), which are likely to significantly exceed these revenues. In the canton of Geneva, these revenues have been forgone since 1974 without any financial problems: before the hunting ban, over 400 recreational hunters were active; today, three full-time positions do the same work better. Sanitary and therapeutic kills by professional game wardens are not the same as regulatory hunting based on hunters' lore or a misunderstood "experience of nature" on the part of recreational hunters. A full-cost calculation shows that militia hunting costs taxpayers 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 in the range of 1,200,000 to 2,800,000 francs annually, which corresponds to around1.10 to 2.65 francs per resident corresponds to. Even generously calculated, this is less than a cup of coffee per person per year. For a canton with total expenditure of over 12 billion francs, that amounts to less than 0.03 percent: a fraction of a fraction (cf. Hunting myths fact check on wildbeimwild.com).

7. Compatibility with superordinate law

First article: Abolition of recreational hunting

The initiative is compliant with federal law. The federal hunting act (JSG) expressly leaves it to the cantons to regulate hunting entitlement, the hunting system, the hunting territory and hunting oversight (Art. 3 para. 1 and 2 JSG). The three hunting systems are of equal standing. The canton of Geneva has practised state-run hunting since 1974 and has never had a complaint under federal law in over 50 years.

Second article: Protection of protected species

Art. 7a JSG enables cantons to carry out preventive regulation but does not oblige them to do so. The same applies to kill permits for individual animals under Art. 12 para. 2 JSG. Forgoing this option violates neither federal law nor the Bern Convention.

Unity of subject matter

The initiative preserves the unity of subject matter, as all provisions of both articles relate to cantonal wildlife management and the protection of wild animals.

8. Anticipating foreseeable objections

«Bern is twenty times the size of Geneva and has the Alps—the system won't work here»

The facts: A larger area requires more specialists (15 to 22 full-time positions instead of around 3). But the per capita costs remain at 1.10 to 2.65 francs, because the population of over a million people bears the costs. The alpine terrain of the Bernese Oberland is topographically more demanding, but more sparsely populated: there are fewer conflict zones between humans and wild animals. In the Mittelland (Seeland, Emmental, Oberaargau), the situation is directly comparable to Geneva. The canton combines all landscape types, which makes it the ultimate test case: if it works here, it works everywhere (cf. the The Psychology of Recreational Hunting in the Canton of Bern).

Short communicative formula: «Bern has a million inhabitants. The per capita costs are in the range of Geneva’s level. And in the Oberland, where few people encounter a lot of nature, there are fewer conflicts, not more.»

«The wolf needs recreational hunting»

The facts: It is exactly the opposite. The wolf is a natural regulator that controls the roe deer population and reduces browsing pressure in protective forests. Recreational hunting disrupts natural regulatory mechanisms by destroying social structures and artificially increasing reproduction rates. Professional wildlife management allows the wolf to fulfil its ecological function while simultaneously protecting livestock herds through professional prevention.

Short communicative formula: «The wolf regulates. Recreational hunting disrupts. Geneva has proven it for 50 years.»

«15’000 signatures are too many»

The facts: 15’000 signatures out of 1’060’000 inhabitants is 1.4 percent of the population. Over 6 months, that is around 83 signatures per day. In Bern, Thun, Biel, Burgdorf and Langenthal, signatures can be collected efficiently. The animal welfare movement has shown in the past that it can overcome these hurdles. Professional collection organisation is crucial.

Short communicative formula: «83 signatures per day. In a canton with over a million inhabitants. Feasible.»

9. Summary

This initiative gives the population of Bern the opportunity to speak out in favour of modern, evidence-based wildlife management and comprehensive protection for threatened wild animal species. The first article follows the Geneva model, which has proved itself for over 50 years, and replaces recreational hunting with professional wildlife protection. The second article protects in particular the wolf in the Oberland, the lynx in the Bernese Jura, the beaver on the Aare and Emme rivers, and the golden eagle. As the most populous licence hunting canton in Switzerland, a success in Bern would send a signal far beyond the canton's borders. Wolf policy, the federal-capital effect, and bilingualism make Bern a strategically central canton for extending the Geneva model.

The result would be a Bern in which wild animals are neither targets for recreational hunters nor victims of a politically motivated kill policy, but are professionally protected as part of a living natural environment, for the benefit of the animals and the entire population.

Initiative committee “For professional wildlife protection”

[Name 1], [Name 2], [Name 3] …

(Committee members in accordance with cantonal law, resident in the canton of Bern)

Contact address: [Committee address]

Appendix: Further documentation

The following dossiers and sources support the arguments of this initiative and are available as appendices:

The Geneva model in detail: wildbeimwild.com/dossiers/genf-und-das-jagdverbot. Comprehensive overview of Geneva’s wildlife management since 1974, including costs, population figures and biodiversity trends.

Scientific studies: wildbeimwild.com/studien. Collection of scientific studies on the self-regulation of wildlife populations and the ecological impacts of recreational hunting.

Hunting in Switzerland, criticism, facts, news: wildbeimwild.com/jagd-in-der-schweiz. Continuously updated overview of Swiss hunting policy.

The psychology of recreational hunting in the canton of Bern: wildbeimwild.com: The psychology of recreational hunting in the canton of Bern. A canton-specific analysis of the psychology behind recreational hunting.

Psychology of recreational hunting: wildbeimwild.com/category/psychologie-jagd. Overarching articles on the psychology of recreational hunting.

Wild animals in settlement areas: wildbeimwild.com/tag/stadtwildtiere. Background on the coexistence of humans and wild animals.

Hunting myths: wildbeimwild.com/dossiers/jagdmythen. Fact check on the most common claims made by the recreational hunting lobby.

Cantonal popular initiative Basel-Stadt: Template text of the initiative in the canton of Basel-Stadt. The template for the entire initiative series.

Note on the procedure

The initiative committee will submit the text of the initiative in German and French to the State Chancellery of the canton of Bern for preliminary review before the collection of signatures begins. 15,000 valid signatures are required for the initiative to come about. The collection period is 6 months from publication in the official gazette. The submission procedures are governed by the cantonal law on political rights (PRG).

Strategic briefing for activists

Popular initiative «For professional wildlife protection», canton of Bern Internal working document, as of March 2026

Summary

Bern is the most populous licence hunting canton in Switzerland and strategically one of the most important cantons in the entire series of initiatives. The federal capital effect, wolf policy in the Oberland, bilingualism as a bridge between Romandy and German-speaking Switzerland, and per capita costs in the range of Geneva's level make Bern unique. The 15,000 signatures in 6 months represent the highest hurdle of the series, but with over a million inhabitants it is proportionally feasible (1.4 percent, 83 per day). The switch to the licence hunting system is administratively simpler than in territorial hunting cantons. Success in Bern would have a signalling effect reaching far beyond the canton.

1. Why Bern of all places?

The most populous licence hunting canton. A signalling effect for the whole of Switzerland. If it works in Bern, it works everywhere.

Federal capital effect. An initiative in Bern directly influences the federal political debate. The Federal Palace is located in Bern.

Wolf policy as a mobilisation issue. Several packs in the Bernese Oberland and Simmental. The species protection clause makes the initiative attractive to nature conservation associations.

Bilingualism as a bridge. It connects the German-speaking and French-speaking debates. In the Bernese Jura, Geneva feels culturally close.

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

Per capita costs in the range of Geneva's level. 1.10 to 2.65 francs. The large population of over a million spreads out the costs.

2. Lessons from Zurich: What we are doing differently

Positive title. «For professional wildlife protection» instead of «Game wardens instead of hunters».

Concrete budget calculation. 1.10 to 2.65 francs per capita. In the range of Geneva's level. The Zurich figure of 20 million was never substantiated.

Secure party support early. Involve the Social Democrats, Greens, and Green Liberals early. Bern has a stronger left-green base than many other cantons.

Species protection as coalition broadening. Wolf, lynx, beaver, golden eagle: the second article mobilises nature conservation associations.

Bilingual campaign. Materials in German and French from the outset. In the Bernese Jura and in Biel/Bienne, the Geneva experience is culturally immediately accessible.

3. Particular challenges

15,000 signatures in 6 months. The highest hurdle of the series. 83 signatures per day. Requires professional collection organisation from day one.

Alpine canton. The Bernese Oberland is strongly shaped by hunting culture. The campaign must work in the city with the ethical argument and in the countryside with the benefits for agriculture and protective forests.

Over 3,000 recreational hunters. One of the largest recreational hunting communities in Switzerland. But: 3,000 out of 1,060,000 inhabitants is 0.3 percent.

4. Analysis of opponents and prepared responses

Counter-argument 1: «Bern is too big and too alpine»

The facts: Larger area, but also larger population. Per-capita costs in the range of Geneva's level. In the Oberland: fewer people, fewer conflicts. In the Mittelland: same landscape as Geneva.

Short communicative formula: «Bern has a million inhabitants. Per-capita costs are in the range of Geneva's level. And in the Oberland there are fewer conflicts, not more.»

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

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

Short communicative formula: «The wolf regulates. Recreational hunting disrupts. Geneva has proven it for 50 years.»

Counter-argument 3: «15,000 signatures are unrealistic»

The facts: 1.4 percent of the population. 83 per day. Efficiently collectible in five cities. Professional organisation is decisive.

Short communicative formula: «83 signatures per day. In a canton with over a million inhabitants. Feasible.»

5. Communication strategy: the three core messages

«Geneva has been doing it for 50 years. What works there also works here.» / "Geneva has been doing this for 50 years. What works there also works here."

«The wolf regulates. Recreational hunting disturbs. Professional wildlife management is the answer.» / "The wolf regulates. Recreational hunting disrupts."

«Net at most 2.65 francs per person per year. In the range of Geneva's level.» / "At most 2.65 francs net per person per year."

6. Timetable and next steps

Phase	Content	Timeframe
Committee formation & preliminary text review	Consult a lawyer; translation into French; committee members with BE residency in accordance with cantonal law	Month 1–4
Submission for preliminary review	State Chancellery of Bern (German and French text)	Month 4–5
Publication & start of signature collection	6-month deadline; target: 18,000+ signatures as a buffer; professional collection organisation from day one	Month 5
Party contacts & coalition building	SP, Greens, GLP, EVP; Pro Natura Bern; BirdLife Bern; WWF Bern; wolf policy as a coalition theme	Month 1–10
Submission of signatures	State Chancellery, official verification	Month 11–13
Grand Council debate	Parliamentary anchoring; intensify media work	Month 14–22
Voting campaign	Final mobilisation, wolf argument, federal capital effect, bilingual campaign	Month 22–28

7. Campaign material

Geneva dossier on wildbeimwild.com as the central set of arguments.
The The Psychology of Recreational Hunting in the Canton of Bern as background material.
Local media: Berner Zeitung, Der Bund, Berner Oberländer, Thuner Tagblatt, Journal du Jura, Bieler Tagblatt, TeleBern, Radio Bern1.
Infographic: wolf as natural regulator in the Oberland, lynx in the Bernese Jura, federal capital effect as a visual element. Cost comparison BE vs. GE.
French-language materials for the Bernese Jura and Biel/Bienne from the outset.

8. Further sources

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

Fact check: The claims of the recreational hunting lobby

The brochure «Die Jagd in der Schweiz schützt und nützt» ("Hunting in Switzerland protects and benefits") published 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 «statutory duty» to «biodiversity» to «80% approval»: Dossier: Fact check on the JagdSchweiz brochure →