AFP :
Switzerland may be associated with pristine natural landscapes, but environmentalists sounding the alarm over its endangered ecosystems are urging voters to back broader biodiversity protections in a referendum Sunday.
That proposal appears set to fail, according to opinion polls, while the Swiss are also set to reject a planned reform of the financing of the wealthy Alpine nation’s pension system slammed by unions as a “scam”.
Most people cast their ballots in advance in the popular votes held every couple of months under Switzerland’s direct democratic system and polling stations will only open a few hours Sunday morning.
Early results are expected by mid-afternoon.
The first proposal, entitled “For the future of our nature and our landscape”, has the backing of a number of environmental protection organisations, including Pro Natura and BirdLife.
These warn that Switzerland’s biodiversity “has declined”.
“Switzerland has one of the highest levels of threatened species and environments among the European countries in the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation)”, Sarah Pearson Perret, a Pro Natura director, told AFP, citing a report by the European Environmental Agency.
Published in 2020, that study shows that the percentage of protected zones compared to the national territory is lower in Switzerland than anywhere else in Europe.
Switzerland’s federal government currently invests around 600 million Swiss francs ($700 million) each year towards the preservation of biodiversity.
But the organisations behind Sunday’s referendum say that is not enough.