Published on 14 July 2026

Biodiversity: In brief

Switzerland’s biodiversity is under pressure. Although measures to promote biodiversity are showing an effect, biodiversity in general nevertheless remains in a poor state, particularly on the Swiss plateau region. Nearly half of Switzerland’s natural habitats and one third of its species are threatened. Specific local gains are insufficient to make up for the losses caused overall by a lack of available land area, soil sealing, fragmentation, intensive land use, as well as nitrogen and pesticide inputs. Subsidies that harm biodiversity exacerbate this negative trend. There is an urgent need for decisive action to safeguard services provided by biodiversity. A rich and resilient biodiversity also helps to mitigate the consequences of climate change.

1. Land use change, housing, mobility, nutrition (drivers)

Biodiversity refers to the diversity of animal, plant, fungal and microbial species; genetic diversity within species; the diversity of natural habitats; and the interactions within and between these levels.

Switzerland's rich biodiversity is the outcome of its geophysical diversity (differences in elevation, climate extremes, geological and soil diversity), on the one hand, and human influences, on the other.

Centuries of land use have generated and shaped Switzerland's mosaic of forests, open country, surface waters and settlements and favoured the development of flora and fauna.

Land use has changed considerably, however, over the past century and reflects changing societal requirements and demands, such as:

  • greater energy requirements and the development of renewable energies;
  • increased mobility;
  • the expansion of settlements and transport infrastructure, driven by rising demand for living and working space, as well as transport services;
  • More extensive and diverse leisure activities in previously unspoiled regions;
  • overly intensive food production systems that cause irreversible damage to ecosystems;

In addition, biodiversity is under pressure from climate change and invasive alien species.

2. Intensive use of land and bodies of water, soil sealing, urban sprawl, and nitrogen and pesticide inputs (pressures)

Since 1900, biodiversity has suffered severe losses worldwide. The main causes at global level are:

  • Overexploitation of land and sea;
  • Extraction of natural resources;
  • Climate change;
  • Pollution;
  • Spread of invasive alien species.

Switzerland’s biodiversity is under particular pressure from

  • The loss and intensive use of soils;
  • The fragmentation and dissection of habitats by infrastructure and settlements;
  • Excessive nitrogen and pesticide inputs.

Since the middle of last century, settlements and infrastructure have been expanding continuously. This has resulted in a reduction in available space and increase in the fragmentation of the remaining habitats. The pace of settlement growth has slowed throughout Switzerland since the turn of the millennium. Nevertheless, the equivalent of roughly eight football fields of land are built on every day.

Many habitats in settlement areas have disappeared due to the sealing of land surfaces and stone walls.

In Switzerland, lower-lying areas, including the Swiss Plateau, are hit hardest by biodiversity loss. These areas experienced the most land development, and habitat fragmentation. Most of the remaining land is used intensively, which results in more pollutants being released into the soil than in other areas.

In the Alps, pressure on biodiversity is increasing, particularly due to the development of mountain pastures an intensification of farming, more ski runs and snow-making facilities, greater use of hydropower and other infrastructures, and more people enjoying a wider range of outdoor activities in the mountains. These activities are taking up increasingly large areas of land, and their respective seasons are becoming ever longer.

Agricultural ecosystems in particular have suffered a severe loss of biodiversity due to intensive exploitation that is no longer sustainable for biodiversity conservation (high nutrient inputs and use of plant protection products, removal of ecologically valuable small structures, soil compaction by heavy agricultural machinery, excessive irrigation). Excessive nitrogen inputs in agriculture   have a particularly negative impact on biodiversity.

Agriculture is the main source of nitrogen. In the form of fertilisers and ammonia, nitrogen affects biodiversity almost everywhere.  Since 2000, nitrogen surpluses have been decreasing very slowly. Regions with excessive livestock numbers require enormous imports of feed to maintain them, resulting in large amounts of nitrogen production. Conversely, extensive livestock farming can promote biodiversity.

In many locations, the natural courses and areas of water bodies have given way to land-reclamation structures, flood control measures and electricity production.

Through its consumption and increasing imports of goods and services, Switzerland is putting increasing pressure on the planet’s natural resources and biodiversity. Goods consumed in Switzerland have more negative impacts on biodiversity in other countries than in Switzerland. The main reason is usually food production that damages biodiversity. Switzerland’s biodiversity footprint is four times higher than the planetary boundaries.

3. Acute threat despite some successes (state)

Biodiversity in Switzerland is in a poor state. The greatest losses were recorded between 1850 and 2000.

Over the past two decades, the state in areas already poor in biodiversity has remained stable. However, there has been a further decline in habitats that are of particular importance to biodiversity, along with many rare animals, plants and fungi. The state of biodiversity varies according to habitat type.

  • The highest levels of biodiversity loss have been recorded in lakes and rivers and along their banks and shores. This is due to the lack of diverse structures, a lack of connectivity due to man-made structures such as dams and power plants, and the effect on water quality of micropollutants (plant protection products, medicinal products, cleaning agents) and nutrients.
  • By contrast, biodiversity on agricultural land is in a very poor state, in particular because of excessive nitrogen inputs, the use of plant protection products, and the removal of bushes, hedges, as well as other ecologically valuable small structures (e.g. rock piles). The latest findings from the ALL-EMA agricultural species and habitats monitoring programme shows that biodiversity in lowland areas is still unsatisfactory. Areas for biodiversity promotion have to be improved in terms of their locations connectivity, and quality.
  • Settlement areas put enormous pressure on biodiversity, but also offer substitute habitats such as those found on ruderal sites or in natural gardens.
  • Biodiversity is under less pressure in forests than in other ecosystems, mainly due to positive developments of the entire forest ecosystem (increasing naturalness of forest stands, increasing structural diversity and deadwood).

Biotopes of national importance in Switzerland include lowland and upland marshes, alluvial zones, amphibian spawning sites and dry grasslands. Their ecological quality has improved only slightly over the last ten years. There are encouraging signs in dry grasslands and pastures, where amphibian populations are stabilizing, whilst the situation in wetlands such as marshes and floodplains has continued to deteriorate. The alarming status of species diversity continues to be documented by the Red Lists:

  • 245 species are already extinct in Switzerland
  • One third of all species studied are considered endangered according to Red Lists.around one third of all species studied are considered endangered according to Red Lists.
  • Species at particular risk are aquatic species, especially decapods, stoneworts, amphibians, fish and cyclostomes.

Targeted recovery programmes have led to some local successes, however. For example, populations of the great crested newt had been in sharp decline since the 1990s, but the ongoing downtrend has now been slowed. As a response to targeted management to improve habitat quality for the great crested newt,  populations have stabilised at a low level in some regions.

On the level of genetic diversity, the intensification of agriculture and concentration on high-yield crop varieties has caused an overall impoverishment. It has been possible to decelerate some of the decline in breeds and varieties. Little is still known about the genetic diversity of wild species, including that of microorganisms.

4. Risks associated with the loss of ecosystem services, costs of inaction (impacts)

Biodiversity provides ecosystem services which make an essential contribution to social and economic development. Such ecosystem services include, for example:

  • sequestering carbon from the atmos sequestering carbon from the atmosphere and mitigating the effects of climate change;
  • maintenance of soil fertility;
  • regeneration of raw materials and food;
  • drinking water, which is filtered in sufficient quantities by forests and their soil;
  • enhancement of the quality of life through the provision of near-natural recreational areas;
  • protection against rockfall and avalanches, as provided by mountain forests;
  • loss of genetic resources for new drugs and crop plants;absorption of heavy precipitation events by mires and wetlands;
  • regulation and containment of pathogens

Biodiversity losses lead to a degradation of ecosystems, their functionality as well as the services for the economy and society they provide. On the other hand, rich biological diversity improves the capacity of ecosystems to respond to disruption such as climate change. This is termed resilience.

Business, government and civil society leaders also perceive biodiversity loss as one of the existential, economic and societal risks for the next 5 to 10 years. Failure to act will also cost Switzerland more in the long run than taking effective action now. Finally, enhancing biodiversity can trigger positive effects in many areas that improve quality of life and open up new economic opportunities.

5. Funding instruments and measures to promote biodiversity

The implementation of conservation measures to promote biodiversity has a long tradition in Switzerland. The Swiss hunting reserves became the first protected areas to have their status enshrined in law in 1875. Over the past 100 years, Switzerland has designated a range other protected areas, starting with the National Park (1914) and including areas as diverse as amphibian spawning areas (2001) and dry meadows and pastures (2010). The long-term conservation and development of biodiversity require a well-functioning network of suitable natural habitats. Such a network consists of protected areas – generally areas of high ecological value that are home to a large number of species and specialised habitats, and where nature is the priority – as well as other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs), which also contribute to the network. The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) defines an OECM as ‘a geographically defined area, other than a protected area, that is regulated and managed to achieve positive and sustainable long-term outcomes for the in situ conservation of biological diversity’. Globally, the CBD’s target for 2030 is to conserve at least 30 per cent of terrestrial areas, inland waters, and coastal and marine areas for biodiversity through protected areas or OECMs. Currently, Switzerland sets aside around 21.4 per cent of its land area for biodiversity. Protected areas cover 13.4 per cent of the country’s total land area, and OECMs cover 8 per cent.

Further instruments and measures, such as the creation of an ecological infrastructure, the promotion of the sustainable use of biodiversity or the promotion of nature in agglomerations, can be found in the Swiss Biodiversity Strategy and its action plan, in the Sustainable Development Strategy and the Swiss Landscape Concept.

The existing instruments and measures that have been implemented in Switzerland so far are good and partly successful, but they are far from sufficient to stop the loss of biodiversity and to be able to conserve and promote biodiversity in the long term.

With the Swiss Biodiversity Strategy, the federal authorities outlined a plan for halting biodiversity loss and conserving ecosystem services. The strategy, which was adopted by the Federal Council in 2012, sets out 10 overall objectives, which were fleshed out in an action plan. he action plan was passed by the Federal Council on 6 September 2017. As part of the implementation of the 2nd Phase of the Swiss Biodiversity Action Plan (PA SBS II) for the period 2025–2030, measures are being taken to specifically address existing gaps, with a  particular focus to increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of the work carried out under the programme agreements with the cantons and sectoral policies. To this end, it fills gaps in knowledge, tests promising approaches in pilot projects and develops implementation strategies. In terms of content, the SBS II Action Plan refers to the Global Biodiversity Framework (Kunming–Montreal; GBF) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The need for action is addressed through measures taken by the FOEN and other federal offices. The FOEN’s 15 measures take particular account of the effects of climate change on biodiversity and the decline in insect populations. Furthermore, new approaches are being developed and tested to promote species and conserve genetic diversity. Other measures focus on the fields of the economy, knowledge and innovation. Finally, a set of measures aims to enhance the ecological value of specific natural habitats – such as forests, lakes and those within urban areas – and to improve their connectivity.

Other federal offices are implementing a total of seven measures within their respective policy areas. Specifically, biodiversity along national roads and railway lines is to be strengthened in a targeted manner. Furthermore, species diversity and the interconnections between species are to be better integrated into spatial planning processes, and the cantons are to be supported in implementing energy production that promotes biodiversity. In the agricultural sector, the promotion of insects and ecosystem services is being continued and expanded.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) recommends increasing efforts to ensure that the measures of the action plan are fully implemented and their impact is sustainable. The required efforts include identifying and avoiding subsidies that may have a negative effect on biodiversity, and securing financing. A study by WSL identifies over 160 subsidies and incentives with (varying degrees of) biodiversity-damaging effects. In fact, subsidies that harm biodiversity exceed the actual amounts spent by the public sector on promoting it. On 3 June 2022, the Federal Council commissioned the Federal Administration to conduct an in-depth study of the impact on biodiversity of eight instruments in agriculture, forest management and regional policy.

Study by WSL

The conservation and promotion of biodiversity is enshrined in various other federal instruments:

  • The Integrated Forest and Wood Strategy 2050 aims to achieve the minimum target of 10 per cent of forest area being designated as forest reserves (as at 2024: 7.8 per cent); all natural habitats prioritised at national level are represented in the network of reserves.
  • Agricultural policy compensates for services rendered to the general public. This also includes biodiversity contributions amounting to over CHF 400 million per year for the establishment and maintenance of biodiversity promotion areas and for networking measures in accordance with the Direct Payments Ordinance.
  • The Water Protection Act, which was revised in 2011, contains provision for the rehabilitation of water bodies whose ecological functions have been impaired by the federal authorities. The negative environmental impact of hydropower must be reduced considerably by 2030, and around 4,000km of straightened waterways must be revitalised by 2090
  • To prepare biodiversity for the challenges ahead, such as climate change and growing traffic of goods and passengers around the world, the Federal Council has issued the Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change, which sets out measures to manage biodiversity, drafted a strategy on invasive alien species, and updated the Swiss Landscape Concept with targets for wildlife and the landscape that are binding on the authorities.
  • The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development aims to halt habitat loss and the extinction of endangered species by 2030 (Sustainable Development Goals, SDG 15).
  • An Action Plan on Risk Reduction and Sustainable Use of Plant Protection Products adopted by the Federal Council in 2017. As a follow-up to the AP PPP, in 2021 Parliament adopted federal legislation on reducing the risks of pesticide use. The Federal Council had already in 2020 lowered the limits on pesticides that are especially problematic, such as the insecticide cypermethrin.

The conservation and promotion of biodiversity are challenges that require local, regional and global action that takes account of the whole system and, especially against the backdrop of global change, the interactions of climate and biodiversity. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD ) and other environmental agreements serve as authoritative instruments at the global level. For example, the Nagoya Protocol, which was ratified by Switzerland in 2014, regulates the access to genetic resources and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from their utilisation. The corresponding ordinance came into force in 2016.

Biodiversity: International Affairs

Further information