Bird Protection Law: Parliament Decides in Favour of New Buildings

Parliament decided by 147 votes to 30 that the Planning and Building Act is to be amended accordingly.

The proposal will now go to the drafting committee. In approximately four weeks, Parliament will then definitively enshrine bird protection in law.

The SP had actually wanted more than just “consideration for birds in new buildings.” In a minority motion, it had demanded that “hazards for birds must be avoided.” This stricter formulation would have included existing buildings as well, though that would almost certainly have been rejected by the centre-right parties.

“Better a bird in the hand”

“Better a bird in the hand than a pigeon in the glass,” said Theres Agosti (SP, Turbenthal). It was better to enshrine bird protection in law in this form now than to end up with nothing at all. The new regulation now applies only to new buildings.

Thomas Forrer (Greens, Erlenbach) would actually have preferred to make existing buildings bird-friendly as well. Laws remain in force for decades. “Do we want a bird in the hand for that long?” he asked. While this regulation would prevent new bird traps from being added, the existing ones would remain in place.

Forrer now hopes that larger renovation projects will also fall under the new bird protection article.

FDP Sees No Need for Action

While the SVP voted in favour of the bird protection compromise, the FDP voted against it. “There is no need for action,” said Stephan Weber (Wetzikon). The Planning and Building Act already states today that buildings must not endanger “persons and property.”

This means the birds are already protected. “The building authorities can demand bird protection when issuing building permits.” Planners and building owners are already well informed and sensitized today, Weber added.

SP cantonal councillor Agosti, who is a board member of the bird protection organization BirdLife, emphasized, however, that awareness of the problem is inadequate. Even public buildings set no example. For instance, the Cantonal Hospital Winterthur recently installed fully transparent glass railings in its outdoor area.

The Green building director Martin Neukom also shared the view that glass panes represent one of the major hazards for birds — alongside habitat loss, roads, and cats. However, the majority of the cantonal government considers the additional burden on builders and authorities to be too great. The cantonal government therefore rejects the proposal.

Every year, an estimated three million birds die in Switzerland because they fly into window panes and mirrored facades. The biodiversity in Switzerland depends on effective bird protection.