Critics question influence of Vorarlberg nature conservation council

Rainer Siegele, a long-serving member of Vorarlberg’s nature conservation council, and the Green Party have questioned the body’s political influence, ORF reported. A draft of a new state nature conservation law would reinstate the council without substantially changing its responsibilities or powers.

The four-member council advised the state government on how to develop Vorarlberg’s natural environment sustainably. It has barely appeared in environmental policy since the Covid pandemic, according to the report.

Siegele said the council had lost importance over time. Early on, scientists Mario Broggi and Georg Grabherr had been respected figures who stated their findings clearly, he said. He questioned the value of having a council if the state government did not follow or even consider its recommendations.

The Greens say the council’s role should have been fundamentally redefined. Parliamentary group leader Daniel Zadra called for it to be renewed and brought up to date. He said its existing remit was outdated and should cover climate protection and the effects of climate change as well as nature conservation. That would require relevant expertise on the council, he said, adding that the ÖVP had rejected the proposal.