Nature & Environment 2004
Foreword
Protection of nature over the last 20 to 30 years has born fruit in a number of areas. For example, targeted efforts to establish new forests have been successful, benefiting plant and animal life, outdoor recreation, and protection of our groundwater.
However, there are also areas in which special efforts are still needed in order to preserve and restore biological diversity. In 2004, the National Environmental Research Institute updated Denmark's Red List of threatened species, now with a total of 2,465 species of Danish fungi, insects, spiders, and birds. The update revealed that one in every four species is either considered to have disappeared or to be threatened to a greater or lesser extent.
One major challenge in a small and densely populated country like Denmark is to balance successfully protection of nature with our way of life, including how we use the land and nature. It is our goal to halt the decline in biological diversity by 2010 at the latest.
Therefore, protection and management of nature will be a top priority for large parts of Denmark in the years to come, not least for the so-called NATURA 2000 sites, which, together, form an ecological network of protected natural areas throughout the EU. Naturally, this will not be without cost.
The Danish Government places great emphasis on an active nature policy. We have therefore set aside an extra DKK one billion (EUR 0.134 billion ) over the next four years for e.g. nature restoration, safeguarding important habitats for plants and animals, establishing more forests, and enhancing efforts for cleaner water.
Furthermore, in seven of Denmark's important natural sites, the Government has initiated work to develop a Danish model for national parks in which nature, outdoor recreation, cultural history, housing, and trade and industry exist side by side. Local work will be completed during the summer of 2005, and the Government will subsequently propose a bill for the establishment of national parks in 2006.
To make all this reality and a success, each and every one of us must take responsibility and join in the effort. The Government will do its share, the municipalities will have to meet greater responsibilities, agriculture must develop to impose a lesser burden on nature and the environment, and the individual Dane must show commitment and share in the responsibility.
Connie Hedegaard
Minister for the Environment
Version 1.0 December 2005, © Danish Environmental Protection Agency