Government’s plans to amend the Forest Act under fire

Opposition taking root as 27,500 people sign protest petition

Wind turbines could be popping up in forests across the nation in the future if the government succeeds in its ambitions to amend the Forest Act.

The environment and food minister, Esben Lunde Larsen, is attempting to attract a majority of Parliament to address watering down the Forest Act, which today means that protected forest areas can only be used for forestry unless there are really strong reasons to grant an exemption.

“First and foremost, the government wants to make forests more accessible to the Danes,” Larsen said according to Metroxpress newspaper.

“We think it is important to erect wind turbines in areas that are uninhabited so we don’t bother our neighbours and contribute to the generation of green energy.”

Aside from permitting the construction of smaller buildings and camping huts, the new legislation would also make it possible to build forest kindergartens and buildings for outdoor life.

READ MORE: Danish national nature fund establishing an island paradise for migratory birds

Nature nay sayers
But the news hasn’t gone down well with nature enthusiasts in Denmark. As of this early afternoon, over 27,500 people had signed a petition against the plans launched by the national nature conservation association Danmarks Naturfredningsforening.

“This is an unacceptable attack on our favourite type of nature,” said Ella Maria Bisschop-Larsen, the head of Danmarks Naturfredningsforening.

“Forests are the Danes’ preferred outdoor areas, and it is here we find peace and quiet. So the idea that the forest must now include buildings that are unwanted elsewhere is deeply wrong and something we will fight tooth and nail against.”

See the petition against the government’s forest plans here.

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