• Minimising the risks for people, the environment and property resulting from natural hazards such as avalanches, flooding, torrents, debris flows, erosion, landslides, rockfall, rockslides, debris avalanches, earthquakes and major accidents
• Ensuring comparable protection throughout Switzerland for humans, the environment and important material assets
• Advising the cantons on introducing sustainable protective measures against natural hazards as well as cofinancing these measures (implementation of the Forest and Hydraulic Engineering Act)
• Implementing integrated risk management
• Supervising the implementation of the Major Accidents Ordinance, supporting the cantons and cooperating in MAO implementation through other federal agencies
• Coordinating earthquake mitigation measures and promoting a concerted contingency policy
• Re-establishing near-natural conditions for watercourses adversely affected by hydraulic engineering (renaturation)
• Supervising flow and lake regulation
• Ensuring long-term protective functions in mountain forests

The division consists of: