Commentaries: Art. 17b

The cantons shall take biological and technical measures to limit the risk of natural events. These measures shall include:
1. designating protective forest and creating forest with special protective functions and related young forest maintenance;
2. silvicultural measures;
3. structural measures to prevent avalanche damage and the construction of installations for triggering avalanches as a precautionary measure;
4. rockfall and rockslide barriers and catchment structures, as well as the removal of material at risk of falling;
5. reinforcement of unstable slopes and gullies and related drainage and erosion protection;
6. accompanying forest-conservation-related measures in stream channels (stream control works in forests).
They shall design new protective structures and installations to be robust. They shall assess existing protective structures and installations with regard to their overload capacity and systemic safety and modify them if necessary.
They shall designate buffer zones eligible for compensation, into which natural events are channelled and directed by protective measures in such a way that these areas are exposed more frequently or intensely in order to protect other areas.