Fiddling the figures – the FOEN greenwashes the biodiversity crisis

The government admits that the state of Swiss biodiversity is “alarming”.

Around one third of all species studied are endangered; the risk of extinction has increased for four out of seven species groups; our protected areas fall far short of the Aichi and Kunming-Montreal targets in terms of surface area (Switzerland comes bottom out of 30 EU countries); and we have lower levels of strict protection than other OECD countries.

Photo A – caption “The Alte Aare, a nature reserve of “national importance” being logged in spring 2023”

Yet the public continues to believe that Swiss nature is doing well. Proactive awareness campaigns and better access to information on the state of biodiversity are urgently needed, but the government and the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) seem to be in no hurry to correct this misconception. Worse, they appear to be deliberately hiding the truth and fiddling the figures.

Take the latest report on the state of Swiss biodiversity which was released by the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) in 2023. The accompanying press release states:

“Species diversity in Switzerland is rich, but under pressure. For example, 17% of all species are “on the brink of extinction” or “endangered”. A further 16% are vulnerable: their populations have declined by 30% over the last ten years. Many ecologically valuable environments have seen their surface area reduced or their connectivity impaired.”

Contrast this to the much more dramatic press release issued in the wake of FOEN’s 2017 biodiversity report which warned that: 

“Almost half of the natural environments studied and more than a third of animal and plant species are under threat. The main reasons for this are the intensive use of land and water, and nitrogen pollution. The continuing decline in biodiversity is threatening the very existence of indigenous species and jeopardising the foundations of human life, the economy and the uniqueness of the Swiss landscape.”

It would therefore seem that Swiss biodiversity has improved in the last six years. 

Except it hasn’t. 

What has changed is the way in which figures are managed and reported. 

A detailed reading of the 2023 report reveals that the FOEN doesn’t mention “extinct species” at all and has listed “vulnerable” species separately. This contradicts accepted international practice. 

Moreover, a 2023 Republik article accuses the government of greenwashing and suggests that “all media releases undergo red pen edits and all inconvenient numbers are deleted”. Goals are also apparently weakened in order to make them easier to reach and lack of funding is frequently cited as an excuse to postpone and delay deadlines. Inadequate resources were apparently the reason for delaying the implementation of the Biodiversity Action Plan by one year.

Yet the government has no problem disbursing subsidies worth CHF 40 billion that “maintain or promote structures as well as production and consumption patterns that harm biodiversity”. Such subsidies are 30-40 times higher than those awarded for biodiversity promotion. 

The government and public should be reminded of FOEN’s 2017 warning that: “The continuing decline in biodiversity is threatening the very existence of indigenous species and jeopardising the foundations of human life, the economy and the uniqueness of the Swiss landscape.”

Biodiversity’s value is immeasurable. We weaken it at our peril.

February 2024