Pro Natura (Switzerland)

For other uses, see Pro Natura (disambiguation).
Pro Natura
(German) Schweizerischen Bund für Naturschutz
(French) Ligue suisse pour la protection de la nature
(Italian) Lega svizzera per la protezione della natura
(Romansh) Lia svizra per la protecziun da la natira
(English) Swiss League for the Protection of Nature

Banner with the logo of Pro Natura (representing the head of an Alpine ibex).
Motto Acting for nature, everywhere!
Formation 1909 (1909)[1]
Founded at Basel
Type Non-governmental organisation
Legal status Non-profit organisation
Purpose Environmental organisation
Headquarters Basel
Region
Switzerland
Membership
About 119,000[2]
Official language
German, French and Italian
Subsidiaries 24 regional sections[3]
Affiliations International Union for Conservation of Nature
Friends of the Earth
Friends of the Earth Europe
International Commission for the Protection of the Alps[1]
Budget
20 millions of Swiss francs[1]
Staff
About 120[1]
Website www.pronatura.ch
Formerly called
 Swiss League for the Protection of Nature[4]
The Limmatspitz nature reserve of Pro Natura Aargau.

Pro Natura, founded in 1909 in Basel as Swiss League for the Protection of Nature, is the oldest environmental organisation in Switzerland.

Pro Natura takes care of about 650 nature reserves of various sizes throughout Switzerland (250 square kilometres, of which 60 square kilometres are owned by Pro Natura).[1]

History

In 1909, representatives of the Swiss Society of Natural Sciences founded the Swiss League for the Protection of Nature (German: Schweizerischen Bund für Naturschutz, French: Ligue suisse pour la protection de la nature) to fund and create the Swiss National Park (inaugurated in 1914).[4] In 2000, Pro Natura launched a campaign supporting the creation of a second Swiss National Park.[5]

In 1947, the Swiss League for the Protection of Nature organised an international conference on the protection of nature in Brunnen.[6] It resulted in the creation of the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 1948.[6]

Between 1958 and 1963, the Swiss League for the Protection of Nature, together with the Swiss Heritage Society and the Swiss Alpine Club, established an inventory of landscapes and natural sites of national importance.[6] Based on it, the Swiss Federal Council published the Federal Inventory of Landscapes and Natural Monuments in 1977.[6]

Since 1995, Pro Natura is a member of the global environmental network Friends of the Earth.[4] In 1997, the Swiss League for the Protection of Nature adopted the name Pro Natura.[4][7]

Objectives

The nature centre of Pro Natura near the Aletsch Glacier (Swiss Alps). The second national nature centre of Pro Natura is located in Champ-Pittet.

The four main objectives of Pro Natura are:[2]

They reach their objectives through:[2]

Other

Pro Natura draws public attention also on grievances. So, the foundation started a media campaign in November 2014: the structures for breeding livestock have a distinct excess inventory, and the eutrophication of fields has increased massively since the 1990s, particularly in the case of phosphorus. Therefore, Pro Natura calls for action by the federal authorities.[8]

Notes and references

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Pro Natura – Switzerland’s Number One in Conservation" (page visited on 26 July 2016).
  2. 1 2 3 (French) "Pro Natura - Agir pour la nature, partout !" (page visited on 26 July 2016).
  3. ↑ (French) Adresses des sections Pro Natura (page visited on 26 July 2016).
  4. 1 2 3 4 (French) "Pro Natura - au service de la nature depuis plus de 100 ans" (page visited on 26 July 2016).
  5. ↑ (French) "« Créons ensemble un nouveau parc national ! » - l'historique de la campagne Pro Natura" (page visited on 26 July 2016).
  6. 1 2 3 4 (French) "Les 10 succès de Pro Natura" (page visited on 26 July 2016).
  7. ↑ The choice of a name in Latin allows to have a unique name across the four linguistic regions of Switzerland. Other organisations with similar names include Pro Helvetia, Pro Infirmis, Pro Juventute, Pro Patria, Pro Senectute, Pro Specie Rara, Pro Velo, etc.
  8. ↑ "10vor10 vom 17.11.2014" (in German). Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen. 2014-11-17. Retrieved 2014-11-17.

See also

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