The implementation of the Water Protection Act from the point of view of the Swiss Fisheries Association

In 2006, the Swiss Fisheries Association (SFV) submitted its popular initiative, "Living Water", calling for a constitutional article on the re-naturalization of the rivers. Parliament drew up an indirect counter-proposal, which in 2011 resulted in the revised Federal Law on the Protection of Waters and the corresponding Regulation. The legal goal is to revitalize 4 000 km of priority water courses within 80 years. The measures include the restoration of near-natural conditions in built-up waters (revitalization), measures to reduce the harmful effects of surge and sunk, the reactivation of the bed load, the improvement of fish migration and the rehabilitation of residual water stretches. The main challenges lie in financing and overcoming resistance to individual projects.