Swiss Cycling rejects compensation claim from Wald Schweiz
Published: Wednesday, May 15th 2024, 12:20
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Swiss Cycling has rejected the demands of Wald Schweiz for uniform compensation for forest owners for use by mountain bikers. Although there is a need for action, all recreational activities in the forest must be taken into consideration for a solution.
At the beginning of March, the Association of Swiss Forest Owners (Wald Schweiz) called for forest owners to be compensated for their mountain biking services. It proposed an annual amount of between one and two francs per meter of forest land made available. In particular, additional expenses and reduced yields in forest management should be compensated.
This demand ignores reality, Swiss Cycling announced on Wednesday. The forest is used by a wide variety of interest groups as a space for active recreation. In addition to mountain bikers, these include hikers, horse riders, dog owners, mushroom pickers and hunters.
Swiss Cycling therefore advocates steering measures in which all relevant stakeholders are involved. From a legal perspective, there also needs to be a differentiation between mountain bike trails and routes that can be used by all interest groups.
Possible compensation for forest owners would have to be clarified by those involved for the respective regions. However, the differences in the framework conditions are too great for a national solution. And it is clear that sustainable solutions can only be found if the concerns of all parties involved are taken into account.
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