Conservationists are furious Brother of Environment Minister Albert Rösti fertilizes protected meadow
Despite protective regulations, Hans Rösti wants to continue spreading manure on a dry meadow of national importance. This is now upsetting environmentalists.
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- The Ueschinenalp in the Bernese Oberland is a dry meadow of national importance that is managed in a near-natural way.
- Hans Rösti and other farmers refuse to extend the protection to two hectares and want to continue spreading liquid manure there.
- Environmentalists are warning of irreversible damage to biodiversity, while the political debate is intensifying in the context of the upcoming biodiversity initiative.
The Ueschinenalp is located in the Bernese Oberland and is of national importance. The dry meadow is managed by the alpine cooperative, whose president is Hans Rösti, brother of SVP Federal Councillor Albert Rösti.
The alp is considered to be managed in a near-natural way - protection agreements have been concluded with the canton of Bern for a large part of the land. Pesticides and fertilizers are banned on these areas, and the farmers are financially compensated for careful management, as reported by the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper.
Hans Rösti and other farmers reject a protection agreement for two hectares of dry meadows. The farmers want to continue spreading liquid manure - right there. Rösti justifies this with the good accessibility of the areas via the alpine road. This is because it is not possible to transport manure to other areas.
Experts warn of species extinction due to liquid manure
Environmentalists such as Raimund Rodewald from the Swiss Foundation for Landscape Conservation warn of the permanent destruction of dry meadows. Studies show that even a single application of fertilizer can cause long-term damage to these species-rich areas, which are important for biodiversity.
Fertilizing the area is contrary to the objectives of the Federal Council. Since 2010, these meadows have been classified as particularly worthy of protection and should be preserved "undiminished" according to the Heritage Protection Act. Nevertheless, the canton of Bern has no legal means of forcing farmers to sign protection agreements.
Now that the people are about to vote on the biodiversity initiative on September 22, this raises questions. Federal Councillor Albert Rösti repeatedly emphasizes that Switzerland is doing enough for nature conservation. However, the events on the Ueschinenalp shed a different light on the matter. Experts are of the opinion that the spreading of liquid manure could accelerate the extinction of species on such land. Critical voices have now also been raised in the political ranks about Rösti's manure spreading.