Swiss Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan

Switzerland has had a biodiversity strategy in place since 2012. The strategy defines the main focus of the Confederation's commitment to conserving species diversity, ecosystems and genetic diversity on the basis of ten strategic goals. The Federal Council supplemented the strategy with an action plan in 2017.

The Swiss Biodiversity Strategy had its origins at the Rio de Janeiro Sustainability Summit. In 1992, Switzerland signed the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), thereby committing itself to formulating a national strategy. The Biodiversity Strategy adopted in 2012 states that Switzerland intends to conserve and promote biodiversity and its ecosystem services for the economy and society.

Action Plan Swiss Biodiversity Strategy (PDF, 1 MB, 06.09.2017)

Biodiversity Action Plan

In 2017, the Federal Council adopted the Swiss Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan. This details specific measures to implement the goals of the strategy and supplements existing environmental legislation. The Biodiversity Action Plan comprises various measures in its first implementation phase from 2017–2023 (immediate measures and synergy measures), as well as pilot projects that will be implemented together with partners within the federal administration, but also with the cantons, communes and third parties. On 21 June 2023, the Federal Council approved the extention of the first implementation phase by one year until the end of 2024.

The measures of the Biodiversity Action Plan are to:

directly conserve biodiversity (further development of an ecological infrastructure, species promotion)
build a bridge between the Confederation's biodiversity policy and other policy areas (e.g. agriculture, spatial planning, transport, economic development)
raise awareness among decision-makers and the public about the importance of biodiversity as the basis of our lives

Swiss Biodiversity Strategy

Financing the measures

The Federal Council has allocated the following funds to implement the action plan measures:

2016: CHF 135 million for immediate measures in the area of nature conservation and forest biodiversity for the years 2017–2020
2017: CHF 50 million to implement the synergy measures and pilot projects for the years 2019–2023;
2019: CHF 236 million for the years 2021–2024.

UN-Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

Monitoring impact and second implementation phase 2025-2030 (AP SBS II)

The FOEN has evaluated all measures and pilot projects of the first implementation phase with regard to their ecological and economic impact on the conservation and promotion of biodiversity. On the basis of this impact analysis, the Federal Council decided to extend the first phase of the AP SBS by one year until the end of 2024. At the same time, the Federal Council mandated FOEN to draw up a plan of measures for the second implementation phase from 2025 until the end of 2030.

Impact of the Biodiversity Action Plan AP SBS (PDF, 83 kB, 21.06.2023)Executive Summary. Full versions in German, French , Italian.