A shared future - balanced development
5. Biodiversity - Nature protection and public access to nature
Denmark is a beautiful country with many lovely natural areas and a good environment, and this must remain so. Sustainable development means that we must safeguard nature’s scope for development. Therefore, it is important to have prioritised and targeted preservation of species, habitat types, ecosystems and genetic diversity. Relative to other countries, Denmark has a small natural area compared to total land area. Amongst other factors, this is because the natural characteristics of the Danish landscape are well-suited to agriculture, and because society has encouraged this development. At the same time, we must increase areas with nature and forest and limit discharges of nutrients and compounds dangerous for the environment. Finally, biodiversity considerations must be integrated into the activities of the sectors involved.
Public awareness must be increased for people to understand that certain natural assets associated with natural and cultural landscapes, habitats and the diversity of species and gene pools are unique and irreplaceable. Denmark must utilise nature in a way that allows future generations access to natural resources to at least the same extent as today.
Outdoor recreation and nature experiences are important to people’s well being and quality of life. It is important that there is general public support for a sustainable nature and environment policy. Therefore the public must have good access to nature, forests and the open countryside. Since the 1992 Rio Conference, Denmark has increased its efforts to prevent the decline in nature and to strengthen biodiversity. The biodiversity strategy of 1995 forms the basis of this intensified activity. The objective of the EU’s Sixth Environment Action Programme is to stop the loss of biodiversity by the year 2010 at the latest.
Under the Danish Nature Protection Act, vulnerable habitats corresponding to 9 per cent of Denmark’s area are protected and 4.5 per cent of this area is preserved. During the last 10 years, more than 14,000 hectares of new natural areas, forests and outdoor recreational areas have been created in the agroenvironment sector. 194 international nature reserves have been established as part of the implementation of the EEC directive on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (the Habitats Directive). Furthermore, proposals have been submitted for a further 56 habitat areas and 35 expansions of existing areas. Since 1994, nature and wildlife reserves have been doubled and they now cover 330,000 hectares. The combination of such efforts has halted the decrease in the size of Denmark’s natural areas.
The state of the environment has most recently been elucidated by the so-called Wilhjelm Committee, which has laid down a knowledge-and-research- based foundation for future efforts towards biodiversity. Despite the great efforts of, amongst others, the agricultural sector to reduce impacts on the environment and nature, the quality of nature in agricultural areas, in the sea and in nature preservation areas is still continuously deteriorating. The 1997 Red List of extinct, endangered, vulnerable and rare plants and animals states that in Denmark, about 30 per cent of species are "acutely endangered and vulnerable". 1,500 species are experiencing such a decline that their continued existence in Denmark is under threat. Denmark has also registered a negative development in the case of several ordinary species and natural habitats given priority in the EEC Habitats Directive. Nevertheless, improvements have occurred for some species which Denmark has an international obligation to protect, for example waterfowl.
Habitats and biodiversity are exposed to harmful impacts from, for example, nutrients and other environmentally harmful compounds or physical impacts. A major challenge is to ensure that these impacts are considerably reduced.To achieve this aim, all sectors affecting nature - agriculture, forestry, fisheries, households, transport and energy - must be responsible for integrating nature considerations into their sectoral activities. Strategies and production methods, including new technology, taking increased account of nature must be developed, particularly in agriculture and fisheries. Still, nature has too little space and many areas of nature and forest are too small.To avoid the loss of more species and habitats, we must therefore restore semi-cultural areas and support many species and nature types, including those in connected nature areas through nature administration and increased protection in green networks. A growing challenge is the existence of genetically modified organisms and the introduction of nonnative species on land, in lakes, watercourses and at sea. Furthermore, man-made climate change will have a growing impact on the development of flora and fauna in the years to come.
Ecosystem restoration has led to the return of rare gallinaceous birds In 1998, an ecosystem restoration project in the Varde river valley and the water-meadows of the bay of Ho in Jutland commenced on the private initiative of the farming community in the hope that the rare land-rail would return.Today, the call of the land-rail can once again be heard in the Varde river valley. The project has established a green network of water-meadows in the river valley. Extensive grazing increases the dynamics and variation of the area while safeguarding a high degree of biodiversity. Today, large parts of the river valley form a mosaic of open, wet, non-fertilised meadows and areas with increased vegetation. The Danish Forest and Nature Agency together with the EU (LIFE-nature) has contributed almost DKK 9.5 million to this ecosystem restoration. Great efforts have also been made locally, and the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries has contributed with the implementation of land allocation and by the entering into agreements with farmers on land consolidation and environmentally sound agricultural measures in order to achieve this objective. |
Authentic nature and culture experiences are an important part of welfare in modern
society. To maintain a large degree of awareness of historic environments, local culture
and identity must become more visible.Villages, burial grounds and churches from the
Middle Ages are examples of important elements of identity in local and national history.
Historic environments may be the foundation of uniting local communities and tourist
needs, and may also contribute to maintaining and developing viable local communities.The
balance between conservation and utilisation must be maintained.
Objectives and activities in the future
Efforts must be made to protect and restore habitats for indigenous animals and plants in order to ave large viable populations on land and in freshwater and marine environments. The efforts will include areas where nature is allowed to develop freely with no significant degree of human influence.
In 2003 the Danish Government will present a collated action plan for the preservation of biodiversity, so that Denmark can live up to the requirements and expectations of the UN climate convention on biodiversity and within the EU on the nature area.The conclusion from the European Council summit in Gothenburg in June 2001 states specifically that the deterioration of biodiversity must be halted by 2010.
The action plan will lay the framework for future initiatives to secure and target activities to safeguard biodiversity and protection of nature. One way of achieving this objective is to ensure that activities in agriculture, forestry, fisheries and other sectors are carried out on a sustainable basis in accordance with this Strategy’s eight objectives and principles, and thus that full integration with regard to biodiversity is included in the relevant sectors. The action plan will work with different opportunities to make the current initiatives more targeted. This will include ensuring that existing areas with a high quality of nature are protected against deterioration, and by developing a cohesive network of protected natural areas. At the same time the plan will continue to protect species and genetic diversity, and support preventive initiatives against imports of foreign species into nature. Furthermore, the plan will ensure that objectives for nature are achieved as economically as possible. Voluntary agreements with landowners, targeted subsidy schemes and local initiatives are important tools.
Research and monitoring nature will be developed with knowledge about how we preserve and utilise nature sustainably. Overall nature and environment monitoring will provide information regarding the extent to which we achieve the objectives agreed. Collection of knowledge by nature organisations and voluntary help is an important contribution tonature monitoring and nature administration. This should be promoted.The knowledge base regarding economic analysis will be enhanced. Further targeting of initiatives for nature can be brought about through nature-quality planning.
An important element in future initiatives for nature will be to enhance local participation and involvement. Municipalities will be more involved and dialogue between the public and the authorities will be a vital prerequisite for future initiatives. The Ministry of the Environment will contribute to welfare and health policy as part of the administration of national forest and nature areas.
The Danish Government will promote sustainable development in the Wadden Sea region in cooperation with the regional and local authorities, as well as the local people. This will take place through work in the Wadden Sea Forum which will examine the possibilities for promoting sustainable utilisation of the trilateral Wadden Sea area without compromising protection of nature in the area. Teaching and other transfers of knowledge about biodiversity and nature will be promoted as the basis for increased popular commitment to nature protection and to restore confidence between the public and the central environmental authorities.
Outdoor recreation provides better health, quality of life, experiences of nature and a greater awareness of natural and cultural environments. The public should have good opportunities for enjoying nature. The aim is to create good opportunities for enjoying the countryside and the forests.The rules for access to nature have been discussed in the so-called Access Committee which indicated a number of changes in the rules.The Danish Government considers that the existing rules for public access to nature are generally satisfactory, and it welcomes voluntary implementation of the proposals from the Access Committee. Coherent networks of paths and the establishment of new forests near old country towns and major cities have special value. Rangers and nature schools, etc., are to contribute to increasing children’s knowledge about nature. Information on the www.naturnet.dk website is to include easily accessible information about options for outdoor recreation.
Denmark played an important role in the preparation of the Convention on Biodiversity, and Denmark will continue its active role in international cooperation on biodiversity through contributing to binding decision-making in the implementation of the Convention. Denmark considers it extremely important that work within the very wide-reaching Convention becomes more targeted and strategic, and that better synergy is created between work within the various international agreements concerned with administration of natural resources. Denmark also considers it important that the Cartagena rotocol on biosafety that regulates transfers of gene-modified organisms between countries enters into force as soon as possible.
At EU level, Denmark will contribute actively to fulfilment of the objectives from the Gothenburg meeting in 2001 on curbing reductions in biodiversity before 2010. This is to take place through implementation of the Habitat Directive, the Sixth Environment Action Programme, and the four sector action plans for biodiversity regarding agriculture, fisheries, development ooperation and conservation of natural resources. There will also be work on a Danish contribution to creating an overall EU strategy for protection of the marine environment.