The wolf is back in Switzerland – a success story for nature conservation, one would think.
But as soon as the species has become established again, politics falls back into old patterns. Instead of scientifically based coexistence, shooting is the standard solution. According to the new hunting regulations, up to two thirds of the young animals could be killed – regardless of whether they ever caused any harm. Entire packs can be wiped out.
What many people don’t know: This policy is not only tolerated by the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) under the leadership of Katrin Schneeberger and the cantonal hunting administrations, but is actively promoted. And this despite the fact that it is in clear contradiction to the Berne Convention – an international agreement that Switzerland ratified in 1982.
Swiss practice is exactly the opposite: cantons apply for preventative shootings and the FOEN approves them, even if no damage is documented. In some cases, entire packs are wiped out, including young animals – a practice that would not be permitted in any EU country.
Switzerland is systematically violating the spirit and letter of the Bern Convention, says an international conservation lawyer who wishes to remain anonymous. The FOEN’s approvals legitimize a policy that is highly problematic under international law.
The FOEN regularly refers to “cantonal sovereignty” and “regional scope for action”. But in reality these are politically motivated favors that federal and cantonal authorities use to cushion the pressure from hunting lobbies and agricultural associations.
Instead of acting as a guardian of nature and species protection, the authority is increasingly acting as an enabler of a shooting policy that is scientifically untenable. Critical experts within the administration report political influence and censorship of scientific assessments that do not fit into the narrative of “avoiding harm.”
Several cantons allow the use of thermal imaging and night vision devices during wolf hunts – methods that are expressly prohibited under Article 8 of the Bern Convention. This ignores European animal welfare standards, which are actually considered a minimum requirement.
The FOEN has so far responded with silence – although in its role as an 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 in which wolves are exterminated and migration is interrupted.
The IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025, in a motion at its meeting in Abu Dhabi, October 9-15, requests the Director General and IUCN members to call on Switzerland to change hunting regulations to ensure that wolf and wildlife management is in line with the best available science and international commitments and maintains viable populations of wolves, ibex, beavers and protected species; consistently apply the precautionary principle 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 obligations.
Obligations under international law are ignored
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With the Bern Convention, Switzerland has committed itself to maintaining the favorable conservation status of strictly protected species. Shooting is only permitted if serious damage is proven, no alternatives are available and the survival of the population is not at risk (Article 9). But the new practice turns these conditions on their head: shootings should take place preventatively – i.e. before a problem even arises. This turns the protective principle into its opposite.
This raises questions about the legality and ethical acceptability of such hunting methods.
Science versus politics
Numerous studies show that destabilizing functioning wolf packs through hunting leads to more livestock losses – not fewer. When experienced animals are missing, social structures collapse and inexperienced young wolves venture into herds more often. Nevertheless, political decision-makers ignore these findings and argue with “security” and “acceptance”. The price: a step back in decades of nature conservation and 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 guard 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 consideration, populist demands and lobby interests determine the course.
The wolf is more than an animal in conflict – it is a test of our ability to deal with wilderness and responsibility. If Switzerland now takes the path of authorizing shooting, it will not only endanger a species, but also the credibility of its entire nature conservation system.
The planned wolf shootings are a throwback to a bygone way of thinking: control instead of coexistence, politics instead of science. Switzerland has the opportunity – and the obligation – to show that modern species protection 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 wild animals.
The FOEN and the cantonal hunting administrations are not victims of political constraints – they are actors who undermine international environmental law through their actions. What is sold as a protective measure is actually a massive step backwards in European species protection.
When federal and cantonal authorities themselves become a problem, international control is needed. Because nature conservation that is based on political calculations not only loses its credibility –
he loses his soul. Albert Rösti is driving nature conservation into the ground.
Participation campaign: Due to the catastrophic policies of Federal Councilor Albert Rösti (SVP), demand that your community request a waiver of federal and cantonal taxes due to the recently approved shooting of wolves in Switzerland. You can download the sample letter here:
