Conservation Policy
Nature conservation policy encompasses all political and strategic efforts to conserve biodiversity on a regional, national and global level.
A special feature of nature conservation policy in comparison to other policy areas and topics is its close and inseparable interlocking with scientifically gained empirical findings from biodiversity and nature conservation research as well as from climatology . The success of nature conservation measures can therefore be monitored directly, for example by determining the extinction rate.
“So far, materialism has been content with changing the world; now it is important to preserve it! "
situation
Studies have shown that anthropogenic effects, mainly direct habitat destruction, flanked by global warming will lead to the disappearance of around a quarter of all animal and plant species existing in 2004 by 2050. It is also a threat to billions of people who make a living using natural resources.
Delimitation of environmental protection policy and nature protection policy
Nature conservation policy has the highest priority to become politically active in order to secure the natural development of all ecosystems . It sees people as users and part of the ecosystem in which they live. The environmental policy on the other hand aims at the preservation of natural systems, as potential or practical resources for their use by humans.
In practice, environmental and nature conservation issues overlap and are usually mentioned in the same breath in the public debate. The ecosystem services that are heavily discussed in the CBD and global climate change are both problems of environmental policy and applied nature conservation policy.
Situation in Germany
A nature conservation policy as an independent policy field has not yet established itself in Germany. The reason for this is a low priority given to nature conservation interests in political practice. The politically relevant work of the young Federal Agency for Nature Conservation could not change this either. Viewed globally, Germany is responsible for a number of endemic species in the biogeographical regions of Central Europe.
Case study Northern Black Forest National Park
After the change of government to green-red in Baden-Württemberg in 2011, the idea of a national park in the northern Black Forest was taken up again. The conflicts of interest in a densely populated federal state were clearly evident here. The exact location in the northern Black Forest was unclear for a long time. The state government of Baden-Württemberg said it would commission an expert report to examine the advantages and disadvantages. The results of the study were available in 2013.
Development and theoretical background
Important international agreements
- 1971 Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance
- 1973 Washington Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora: CITES .adopted
- Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals
- 1993 Convention on Biological Diversity
- Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, part of the World Trade Organization
- 2000 Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety
- 2001 International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
- 2010 Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from Their Utilization
Origin of the idea of nature conservation
The development of nature conservation policy is closely linked to the development of nature conservation in general. Alexander von Humboldt coined the term natural monument and implied a demand for the preservation of valuable natural objects as early as 1799. In 1836 part of the Drachenfels was acquired by the Prussian government to prevent further mining of the mountain. This is often seen as the establishment of the first nature reserve in Germany and was also an act that would be seen today as a regulatory measure. However, the area was not formally placed under protection until 1922. The aim of the conservation area was primarily to preserve the scenic charm and fairytale charm and not primarily the habitat of animals.
At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, there was an increasing demand that nature conservation should not be limited to smaller areas or only dedicated to the protection of individual groups of species, such as birds, but rather to consider and protect landscapes holistically. This also led to concrete political demands. Numerous nature reserves were created internationally, for which concepts were developed that were ultimately forerunners of modern landscape management . In many cases, the efforts to designate nature reserves were promoted and supported by associations that were formed during this time.
Formalization of nature conservation under National Socialism
With National Socialism in Germany in 1933, the harmonization of nature conservation associations and the exclusion of Jewish members from the associations began. Comprehensive new legal regulations of the Nazi regime in the years 1933 to 1935 in the field of nature and environmental protection, above all the Reich Nature Conservation Act (RNG), regulated for the first time compensation after private interventions and introduced the less protected landscape protection areas as a new category in addition to the nature reserves . The so-called compensation regulations are an integral part of the nature conservation legislation of the Federal Republic of Germany and are based on the idea that nature can be substituted. However, major state projects such as traffic engineering or military interventions were excluded from the strict legislation. Institutionally, nature conservation was placed under the control of the Reich Forest Office under Hermann Göring with the “Reichsstelle” established in 1936 . Ideologically, nature conservation was linked to a national concept of homeland, the striving for self-sufficiency and a blood-and-soil ideology , which found its clear expression in landscape planning in Eastern Europe according to the General Plan East.
In practice, the Nazi regime did not stick to the path of comprehensive nature conservation that was prescribed by law for the first time. After Hermann Göring assumed responsibility for fulfilling the four-year plan, the self-sufficiency policy was placed above nature conservation. In many places the destruction of nature was carried out, for example amelioration , highway construction , intensification of forest use, construction of industrial plants and military facilities (see also arming the Wehrmacht ). The cultivation of wasteland operated by the labor service was criticized by many conservationists, but there was no political action.
Environmental and nature conservation movement of the 1970s and 1980s
In the 1970s and 1980s, an ecological movement formed in Germany, which was influenced by both the student social revolutionary movement of the 68s and the so-called flower power movement from the USA. Environmental protection issues, the anti-nuclear movement and the peace movement formed large overlaps with a new nature protection movement in terms of justification and ideology. The activists of the Don't Make a Wave Committee came directly from the American peace movement and in September 1971 chartered the fishing cutter Phyllis Cormack , commanded by John Cormack , with the intention of disrupting the scheduled second nuclear test and preventing the detonation of atomic bombs in the Pacific. The ship was renamed Greenpeace and set sail towards the test site at Amchitka . But the US Coast Guard intercepted the Phyllis Cormack and forced her to return to port. On their return to Alaska, the team learned that protests had taken place in all of Canada's major cities and that the US had postponed the second underground test until November. The organization later changed its name to " Greenpeace ".
Local associations in particular campaign for the preservation of important habitats in Germany. In Schleswig-Holstein which was in the 1970 Protection Wattenmeer established that the first for the designation of the German Wadden national parks, the National Park Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea , fought. In the German Federation for Bird Protection (now NABU), a movement with a strong nature conservation policy was formed in the DBV youth with its spokesman Jochen Flasbarth in the early 1980s. What these currents had in common was that they politicized nature conservation and led them from an orientation that emphasized homeland protection to a more scientifically oriented justification (introduction of the term “ ecosystem ”).
Pioneers during this period included the writer Carl Amery with his book Nature as Politics (1985), Hubert Weinzierl and Hubert Weiger (both BUND ). In West Germany, the following political consideration was very effective: not only the working people, but also nature was seen as threatened by the industrial economy.
The GDR environmental and nature conservation movement had little opportunity to take political action against large-scale projects that led to the destruction of nature. GDR socialism described environmental problems as “remnants of capitalism ”, which therefore officially only existed in the West, and made “ecology” a taboo subject. In this respect, even taking up the topic was considered a criticism.
Instruments and measures
Since the beginning of the 1960s, it has been recognized that the preservation of nature and biological diversity should not only be done through “good will”, but also with suitable instruments in politics and environmental law . Since then, a number of international treaties and conventions in various nature conservation areas have been concluded around the world . With professional positions and political lobbying, non-governmental organizations have developed into increasingly relevant factors influencing nature conservation-related strategies, laws, policies and current discussions.
Professional scientific principles provided the originally developed from the Anglo-Saxon Conservation Biology (Conservation Biology) available, with increasing influence since the mid-1970s.
International
The most important and only comprehensive international treaty for the protection of nature is currently the Biodiversity Convention (officially Convention on Biological Diversity , English Convention on Biological Diversity, CBD ). The Federal Agency for Nature Conservation describes the CBD as "an international key instrument for the conservation, sustainable use and ensuring adequate access to and fair sharing of benefits from the use of the earth's biological resources."
The convention is an international environmental treaty negotiated at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 . It now has 193 contractual partners and has been signed by 168 states and the EU. The convention has the three essential and officially equal goals: protection of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components and access regulation and fair compensation of advantages which arise from the use of genetic resources ( access and benefit sharing , ABS). In the Convention, biodiversity is defined as the diversity of ecosystems, species diversity and also genetic diversity within individual species.
Important elements of the Biodiversity Convention are the identification and monitoring of biodiversity (monitoring) and the direct protection of biodiversity both in situ , i.e. in the ecosystem, and ex situ, e.g. B. in appropriate facilities for storing seeds (gene banks) and zoos. Another element is active nature conservation research as well as education and public relations. One aspect that has been increasingly discussed and professionalized in recent years is the so-called "valorisation of genetic resources" as well as the area of technology transfer, scientific cooperation and information exchange.
The Cartagena Protocol was adopted in 2000 and entered into force in 2003. In 2010 the CBD passed the Nagoya Protocol, which had not yet entered into force. This means that there are two legally binding agreements with which the aims of the convention are to be implemented. While the Cartagena Protocol regulates the cross-border movement of genetically modified organisms, the Nagoya Protocol establishes a legally binding framework for access to genetic resources and fair sharing of benefits.
The Potsdam initiative received less public attention . In 2007 the environment ministers of the G8 countries and the ministers from the emerging countries decided on an action program against global species decline . This initiative had no further effect in practical politics and did not result in a legally binding contract.
The nature conservation component within development policy and development cooperation is becoming increasingly important. More recent approaches to nature conservation assume that the protection of habitats or special plants and animal species can only be achieved if the population is significantly involved in the protection activities. Since a large part of global biodiversity is located in developing and emerging countries , these regions play a particularly important role in global conservation efforts. At the international level, developing and emerging countries are calling for access to their biological resources (seed banks, etc.) and the added value generated from them (access and benefit sharing). Conflicts often arise from the protective interests of western states and the immediate economic interests of the local population. Most of the time, the actors try to develop alternative sources of income for the population ( ecotourism, etc.).
Europe
The Natura 2000 network was created at EU level in 1992 , with the aim of helping to protect biotopes and species on a large scale. Natura 2000 forms the core of European nature conservation policy and has become the indicator of the member states as to how seriously they actually promote the protection of nature. Due to the network, 10 to 15 percent of the EU area should be placed under protection in the long term. In Germany, too, the Bird Protection Directive and the Fauna-Flora-Habitat Directive , which are summarized below, must be implemented by the federal states and the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN).
The EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive was adopted in 2008 in order to bring the European seas to or maintain good environmental status by 2020. As of 2011, the draft law was legally embedded in the member states. In Germany, the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation is entrusted with the implementation.
Germany
In November 2007 the federal government passed a comprehensive national biodiversity strategy for the implementation of the CBD in the FRG .
German nature conservation law changed with the increasing influence of EU directives. The plan to combine all environmentally relevant laws in a single comprehensive environmental code failed at the end of the 2010s. The amendment to the Federal Nature Conservation Act, however, was about to be completed in 2011.
According to BUND, the Environmental Damage Act and the 2011 amendment to the Building Code also have noticeable effects on nature conservation .
actors
International
The International Union for Conservation of Nature IUCN advocates the issues of biodiversity conservation worldwide . Problem areas that cross national borders, like almost all nature-related species and landscape protection measures, require transnational and sometimes international engagement. This is particularly important for migratory species and marine protection . Non-governmental organizations try to influence national and international legislation through lobbying and political representation. Internationally, the most important organizations and networks here include the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Birdlife International , Conservation International , Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth .
Germany
In Germany, the actors in nature conservation policy are divided into the positions of the parties and governments on nature conservation issues, the positions of the state authorities and the work of independent non-governmental organizations.
Parties and governments
Most of the time, nature conservation policy is dealt with by the parties in the cross-sectional area of "environmental policy".
At the level of the federal states, the priority setting of state politics becomes clear on the basis of the density of national parks and protected areas with higher protection status.
Authorities
The most important state nature conservation authority in Germany is the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation . It is assigned to the Federal Environment Ministry and the executive authority. Nevertheless, the BfN and its presidents contribute to setting priorities within German nature conservation policy. After all, the BfN has a wealth of experts and resources from all areas of nature conservation. Since the opening of the “iron curtain” in the early 1990s, the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) has become increasingly active at the international level, especially in Eastern Europe and Central Asia .
Non-governmental organizations
The German Nature Conservation Ring (DNR) is the umbrella organization of the environmental and nature conservation associations active in Germany. It was founded in 1950 and introduced in 2010 with 94 member associations with a total of more than five million individual memberships largest advocacy of nature conservation in Germany. In addition to classical nature conservation organizations such as BUND and NABU also include organizations such as the German Alpine Club , the German Hiking Association and the German Animal Welfare Society , but also numerous small associations for DNR. The umbrella organization conducts environmental policy coordination (internally) and lobbying (externally) - the Berlin office does this at the federal level, the EU coordination at the European level. Critics of the environmental umbrella organization complain, however, that the DNR is too cumbersome and paralyzed by internal hierarchy, the thematically wide-ranging member organizations and bureaucracy as well as the association selfishness of the large member associations such as BUND and NABU. In Germany, important nature conservation NGOs such as Greenpeace and WWF are not members of the DNR. Critics sometimes accuse the DNR of being too close to the state, as politicians and people connected with the economy dominated the Presidium (nature and environmental protection: data and background, pp. 90–99). This criticism led to a process of clarification within the association in 2009 and since the Bundestag election in 2009 the Presidium has kept a greater distance from politics and business.
The nature conservation associations Bund für Umwelt- und Naturschutz Deutschland and Naturschutzbund Deutschland have an impact on environmental legislation with publicity campaigns and lobbying work in Berlin. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1990 - merging with the Eastern partner association and the associated renaming - the NABU developed into a multi-thematic and political nature conservation association. This process was especially accelerated under the chairman Jochen Flasbarth . While the predecessor association, the German Federation for Bird Protection , was an almost exclusive professional association for ornithological issues, the newly created NABU expanded its work to include environmental issues in the broader sense and engagement in social and political debates. As the largest German nature conservation association, NABU in Berlin also sees itself as a “lobbyist for nature”. The association is increasingly occupying other policy areas, such as climate protection , international marine policy, organic farming and the like. a.
Perspectives
Germany
Global developments have an impact on social priorities in the 21st century. The geographer K.-H. sees profound turning points and social ruptures through mass unemployment, dwindling social systems, underfunding of the public sector and increasing individualization of large sections of the population. Erdmann as a background against which the position of nature conservation in the future must be discussed.
Europe
In fact, almost all European countries are lagging behind the requirements for implementing the Natura 2000 directive.
EU nature conservation policy is facing a major challenge as a result of the EU's eastward expansion. The young member states Bulgaria and Romania as well as the countries of the Balkans are home to an abundance of landscapes and animal and plant species that have been destroyed in the rest of Europe, mainly due to industrial agriculture. Various research and development programs try to achieve sustainable development in rural areas using different approaches, i. H. also designed in terms of species protection.
See also
History of nature conservation and nature conservation policy:
Contracts:
additional
Publications
Magazines
- political ecology of the oekom publishing house
- Nature and Landscape Monthly magazine of the BfN
Technical article
- William M. Adams , Jon Hutton: People, Parks and Poverty: Political Ecology and Biodiversity Conservation. 2007. (Comprehensive presentation of the problem areas between international nature conservation, poverty reduction and human rights)
- K. Boehning-Gaese et al. a .: Protected areas of Germany in climate change - risks and options for action. BfN study. (PDF; 180 kB) 2007.
Books
- Michael E. Kraft: Environmental policy and politics. 2015, ISBN 978-0-205-74537-1 .
- KH Erdmann , Th. J. Mager (Hrsg.): Innovative approaches to the protection of nature. Visions for the future. Springer Verlag, Berlin / Heidelberg 2000, ISBN 3-540-66667-2 .
- Josef H. Reichholf : End of biodiversity? Endangerment and destruction of biodiversity. Edited by Klaus Wiegand. Fischer-Taschenbuch-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 2008, ISBN 978-3-596-17665-6 ( Fischer 17665).
- Bruno Streit : What is biodiversity? Exploration, protection and value of biological diversity. (= Beck series 2417). CH Beck, Munich 2007, ISBN 978-3-406-53617-5 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Quoted from Piechocki: 'Landscape - Home - Wilderness. Protection of nature - but which one and why? ' 2007, p. 95.
- ↑ Drastic species loss due to climate change. Greenpeace Germany, January 8, 2004, accessed February 4, 2016 .
- ↑ Andrea Koch-Widmann: National Park in Focus. In: stuttgarter-zeitung.de. March 19, 2013, accessed April 26, 2016 .
- ↑ United Nations proclaim the Decade of Biological Diversity. On: bfn.de (Federal Agency for Nature Conservation), December 21, 2010.
- ↑ List of Parties. List of ratifications.
- ↑ Tobias Chilla, Bruno Scholl: The implementation problem of European nature conservation policy. (PDF; 2.24 MB) at: raumbilder.uni-koeln.de .
- ↑ Protect biological diversity. ( Memento of the original from August 25, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on: bund.de , August 7, 2011.
- ↑ KH Erdmann , Th J. Mager (ed.). Innovative approaches to protect nature. Visions for the future. 2000, p. 218 f.
