Olten/Bern. A Swiss referendum on the conservation of biodiversity
The World Biodiversity Council IPBES estimates that over the past 500 years, around a third of all animal and plant species worldwide have become extinct or have been added to the list of species threatened with extinction. One of the main reasons for this development is the continuous, man-made threat to the habitat of flora and fauna. Agriculture plays a key role in this, especially in the modern age.
In order to counteract this worrying process in our own country, [Switzerland] an alliance of almost 500 national and cantonal organizations from the fields of nature conservation, landscape and environmental protection, agriculture, fisheries, and Swiss parks has been formed: the Biodiversity Initiative. The Swiss Demeter Association is also among the supporters. The members of the initiative emphasize the urgent need for action and call on politicians to become active accordingly. Their long-term goal is to enshrine the protection of biodiversity in the Swiss constitution, to activate areas designated with concrete figures and financial resources and to spread the promotion of biodiversity outside of protected areas.
However, in a referendum on the initiative in September, the majority of participants voted against it. The sense of urgency, therefore, does not seem to be reflected in the Swiss population. Alfred Schädeli, President of the Demeter Association, says: “Biodynamic agriculture has been protecting and promoting biodiversity for 100 years. Biodiversity is an essential basis for agricultural production and for our lives. The biodiversity crisis is a problem that affects all sectors and can only be solved together. The clear rejection of the initiative has shown how difficult this collective approach is. Biodynamic agriculture is and remains part of the solution.”
More Biodiversitaets Initiative
Contact info@demeter.ch
Translation Charles Cross
Image Tron Le
