Grand Council AG Additional wetlands to be created in Aargau

An additional 1000 hectares of wetlands are to be created in the canton of Aargau by 2060 in order to preserve and strengthen biodiversity. This was decided unanimously by the Grand Council on Tuesday. A popular initiative with largely the same goal was withdrawn.

The popular initiative "Waters Initiative Canton Aargau - More living wetlands for the canton of Aargau" submitted by environmental organizations wanted to make the canton and the municipalities responsible.

In order to protect and connect the water habitat, they should ensure "that the wetland areas required to safeguard and strengthen biodiversity are created within twenty years of this constitutional provision coming into force."

More time is needed

However, the time frame for the initiative was too tight for parliament and the cantonal government. They therefore want to achieve the generally supported goal by 2060.

The indirect counter-proposal as a compromise is a political success, it was said across party lines. Everyone had to give up ground - and everyone had won.

The interim target envisages that 750 hectares of land will be rewetted by 2040. Of this, around 300 hectares are to be in forests, 280 hectares in agricultural areas and 170 hectares in settlement areas. The target is to be achieved voluntarily via existing environmental and nature programs.

Initiative withdrawn

The Grand Council also unanimously approved a loan of four million francs. This will be used to develop the basis for pilot projects and set up a monitoring system. The money will only flow if the initiative committee withdraws its request.

In the Grand Council, the initiative committee announced that it would withdraw the water initiative. A "forward-looking solution for a generational project" had been found.

Building Director Stephan Attiger (FDP) thanked the initiators for making this compromise possible. "We want to move forward. We want to implement it as quickly as possible," he said.