IUCN criticizes Swiss wolf culls in 2025

The wolf is back in Switzerland – a success story for nature conservation, one might think.

But no sooner has the species re-established itself than policymakers revert to old patterns. Instead of scientifically sound coexistence, they are relying on culling as the standard solution. According to the new hunting regulations, up to two-thirds of the young animals could be killed – regardless of whether they have ever caused any damage. Entire packs can be wiped out.

What many don't know: This policy is not only tolerated by the Federal Office for the Environment ( FOEN ), headed by Katrin Schneeberger , and the cantonal hunting authorities, but actively promoted. And this despite the fact that it is in clear contradiction to the Bern Convention – an international agreement that Switzerland ratified in 1982.

The Swiss practice is exactly the opposite: cantons apply for preventative culls, and the Federal Office for the Environment (BAFU) approves them, even if no damage has been documented. In some cases, entire packs are wiped out, including young animals – a procedure that would not be permitted in any EU country.

Switzerland is systematically violating the spirit and letter of the Bern Convention, says an international environmental lawyer who wishes to remain anonymous. The permits issued by the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) legitimize a policy that is highly problematic under international law.

The Federal Office for the Environment (BAFU) regularly invokes "cantonal sovereignty" and "regional scope for action." In reality, however, these are politically motivated favors with which federal and cantonal authorities mitigate pressure from hunting lobbies and agricultural associations.

Instead of acting as a guardian of nature and species conservation, the authority is increasingly acting as an enabler of a culling policy that is scientifically untenable. Critical experts within the administration report political interference and censorship of scientific assessments that do not fit the narrative of "harm prevention."

Several cantons permit the use of thermal imaging and night vision devices in wolf hunts – methods that are explicitly prohibited under Article 8 of the Bern Convention. This ignores European animal welfare standards, which are considered a minimum requirement.

The Federal Office for the Environment (BAFU) has so far remained silent – although in its role as enforcement and supervisory authority it would be obliged to prevent or sanction violations.

Experts from the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) are now sounding the alarm: Such interventions threaten the genetic stability of the Alpine population and could create so-called "demographic black holes" – regions where wolves are eradicated and migration patterns are disrupted.

In a motion submitted to its meeting in Abu Dhabi from October 9-15, the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025 requests the Director General and IUCN Members to urge Switzerland to amend its hunting regulations to ensure that wolf and wildlife management complies with the best available scientific knowledge and international commitments, and maintains viable populations of wolves, ibex, beavers and protected species; and to consistently apply the precautionary principle of in dubio pro natura.

The IUCN and several environmental lawyers are currently preparing resolutions and legal action to remind Switzerland of its obligations. IUCN Resolution 142 (Abu Dhabi 2025) explicitly calls for wolf management in Switzerland to comply with the best available scientific evidence and international commitments.

International legal obligations are being disregarded

Switzerland has committed itself under the Bern Convention to maintaining the favorable conservation status of strictly protected species. Culling is only permitted if serious damage is proven, no alternatives exist, and the survival of the population is not threatened (Art. 9). However, the new practice turns these conditions on their head: culling is to take place preventively – that is, before a problem even arises. This reverses the principle of protection.

This raises questions about the legality and ethical justifiability of such hunting methods.

Science versus politics

Numerous studies show that destabilizing functioning wolf packs through hunting leads to more livestock kills – not fewer. When experienced animals are absent, social structures disintegrate, and inexperienced young wolves are more likely to attack herds. Despite this, political decision-makers ignore these findings and argue in terms of "safety" and "acceptance." The price: a setback to decades of nature conservation and a loss of Switzerland's credibility as an environmentally conscious country.

Alternatives have long been on the table.

Successful projects in numerous countries prove that non-lethal measures work:

• well-trained livestock guardian dogs,
• electric fences and
• Targeted support for farmers who focus on prevention rather than retaliation.

The IUCN therefore demands that Switzerland prioritize these instruments and treat lethal interventions as a last resort.

Ethics, Science and Responsibility

Current developments reveal a deeper problem: the politicization of wildlife management. Instead of scientific evidence and ethical considerations, populist demands and lobby interests are determining the course.

The wolf is more than just an animal in conflict – it is a touchstone for our ability to manage wilderness and our sense of responsibility. If Switzerland now pursues a path of permitting wolf culling, it will not only endanger a species, but also the credibility of its entire nature conservation system.

The planned wolf culls represent a regression to an outdated way of thinking: control instead of coexistence, politics instead of science . Switzerland has the opportunity – and the duty – to demonstrate that modern species conservation is based on knowledge, ethics, and responsibility. Anything else would be a betrayal of nature, of international obligations, and of the idea of respectful coexistence between humans and wildlife.

The Federal Office for the Environment (BAFU) and the cantonal hunting authorities are not victims of political pressure – they are actors whose actions undermine international environmental law. What is being sold as a protective measure is in reality a massive setback for European species conservation.

When federal and cantonal authorities themselves become a problem, international oversight is needed. Because nature conservation driven by political calculation not only loses its credibility –
He is losing his soul. Albert Rösti is driving nature conservation into the ground.

Participate in this campaign: Due to the disastrous policies of Federal Councillor Albert Rösti (SVP), request a waiver of federal and cantonal taxes from your local council following the recently approved culling of wolves in Switzerland. You can download a sample letter here: https://wildbeimwild.com/ein-appell-fuer-eine-veraenderung-in-der-schweiz/