Bern becomes green: a fifth of the municipal council is planning a fifth biodiversity

Bern becomes green: a fifth of the municipal council is planning a fifth biodiversity

The Bernese municipal council presented a new concept to promote biodiversity in the city. The aim is to design at least 20 percent of the urban areas by 2035 so that they serve biodiversity. This sounds like a big step, especially since the loss of biological diversity is one of the greatest challenges of our time. With the introduction of flower meadows, hedges and other natural areas, the city wants to counteract this.

The city ecologist Sabine Tschäppeler emphasizes that despite the ambitious goal, there is still considerable potential for ecological improvements. The proportion of ecologically valuable areas in Bern is currently 16 percent, which has been an increase since 2012, but is still behind the required 20 percent. In addition to urban parks and residential areas, the concept will also include agricultural areas and forests.

The requirements for the owners

In order to achieve the goals, private owners will have to make 20 percent of their areas close to nature in the future, which represents an increase compared to the previous 15 percent. This particularly affects plans in which the city has the lead. Tschäppeler emphasizes that even small measures by the population - such as creating meadows on balconies or in gardens - can make a significant contribution to biodiversity. Such initiatives are funded by the city and have also been awarded since 2021.

The specific measures to promote biodiversity are diverse and should go beyond public areas. This also includes forest and agricultural areas, whereby the city would like to try to increase the proportion of biodiversity in agriculture through advice and possible funding contributions. This proportion is currently only 14 percent, which is still a long way from the goals set.

pioneering role of the city of Bern

Markus Fischer, professor of vegetable ecology at the University of Bern, describes the goals as "ambitious, but realistic". According to his assessment, Bern sets standards that many other cities in Switzerland and Europe should strive for. It emphasizes the importance of creating habitats and small structures for various organisms, which can be designed, among other things, by extensively used meadows and diverse shores. Invasive species should also be kept away if possible.

The concept is recognized as the first step by the Greens, but there is also criticism behind the scenes that the city does not do enough for flora and fauna overall. Yeah City Councilor Nora Joos expresses the desire for more ambitious goals, especially in forestry, where a lot of potential remains unused. A major point remains the unclear question of cost, since the financial effects are not yet specifically included in budget planning. There is hope for the support of the canton and the federal government, as is already being practiced in other cities.

The discussion about biodiversity in Bern continues, and the city faces the challenge of putting the ambitious goals into practice in order to make a sustainable contribution to biodiversity.

The background and other details on this topic are in a current article www.thunertagblatt.ch to read.