© MECDD
On Wednesday, the Ministry for the Environment, Climate and Sustainable Development presented a new communication campaign that focuses on the promotion of protected Natura 2000 zones in Luxembourg.
According to a report from the National Observatory for the Protection of the Natural Environment, two thirds of natural habitats and about 80% of species are unwell. Natura 2000 zones are designed to counteract this tendency and support ecosystems in their functions, including the storing of CO2 and water or the filtering of air and water.
Nevertheless, Minister for the Environment, Climate and Sustainable Development Joëlle Welfring underlined that agricultural activities will also remain possible in these zones: "28% of our territory are Natura 2000 areas. They are protected, but can still be used for agricultural purposes. Today we want to show that there is room for cooperation with farmers and those active in the tourism industry."
A special committee is in charge of monitoring the implementation of and respect for protective measures in the Natura 2000 zones. The committee is made up of locals from all kinds of backgrounds.
Tobias Mosthaf, one of the committee members, explained that increasing the number of fruit plantations would be productive. Between 1902 and 2013, their number decreased from 1.1 million to fewer than 200,000.
According to Mosthaf, mindsets in the agriculture sector changed after World War II: "We used to always have people furthering and increasing biodiversity. Then the system changed due to agricultural policies."
In the context of the new communication campaign, eight videos promoting the Natura 2000 zones will gradually be published on social media and on www.natura2000.lu over the course of next year.
