Federal Office for the Environment

Description

The Federal Office for the Environment, known as BAFU, is Switzerland’s national environmental agency. It is a division of the Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications. BAFU is responsible for the sustainable use of natural resources such as air, soil, water and forests. It also leads climate policy, protection against natural hazards and the conservation of biodiversity.

The office traces its roots to 1971, when the Federal Office for Environmental Protection was founded. In 1989 it merged with the Federal Office for Forests and Landscape Protection to become the Swiss Agency for the Environment, Forests and Landscape. In 2006 it merged again with the Federal Office for Water and Geology and took its current name. BAFU is based in Bern.

As a federal agency, BAFU operates within Switzerland and works across environmental domains rather than in a single sector. Its mandate spans pollution control, nature protection and hazard prevention, connecting scientific data with national policy. The office serves as Switzerland’s central point of expertise on environmental matters.