Newsletter: Press release, September 25, 2024

ARNHEM | Thursday, September 26, 9:00 AM, an important trial will begin in the Arnhem courthouse, initiated by seven nature action groups(1) against the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature (LVVN). They demand that the Code of Conduct for Forest Management be destroyed.(2). The biggest objection concerns the clear-cutting as included in the Forest Strategy. LVVN has included clear-cutting as a measure so that forest managers can start their ‘management activities’ faster and on a larger scale. This would be ‘necessary’ for the protection of flora and fauna. However, according to the nature action groups, clear-cutting causes great damage to forests and biodiversity.

Deforestation always leads to emotion. Trees provide oxygen, help save water, protect the soil and ensure clean air and, importantly, protect the health of people, animals and nature, according to the nature organizations. But since former Dutch State Secretary, Henk Bleker, withdrew subsidies for nature conservation, ‘forest management’ organizations such as the Dutch State Forestry (Staatsbosbeheer), among others, are cutting down much more forest to tighten their belts. The question is whether this is also allowed under the heading of nature conservation, as claimed by the ministry. The nature organizations hope that judges will remove clear-cutting from the forest strategy.

Clear-cutting involves harvesting a large volume of wood in one go. This and the felled existing shrub layer and the branches and top wood can quickly earn money by selling it to the paper industry and biomass power stations. That is why the minister, under pressure from the forestry sector, has nevertheless included forms of clear-cutting up to 2HA in the code of conduct, under the euphemistic terms group cutting and screen cutting. —Fritsvan Beusekom, Foundation Natuurbelang

At the moment, there is chaos in the forests. Forests are being cut down, in a structural way. There is no or unclear policy. Let alone supervision or enforcement when there are abuses, as is the case now. In fact, this clear-cutting is promoted as a form of nature conservation, which is supposedly necessary for the protection of flora and fauna. This is the world turned upside down. —Fenna Swart, Clean Air Committee

  1. Stichting Natuurbelang Nederland, Vereniging Leefmilieu, Stichting Comité Schone Lucht, Stichting Mobilisation for the Environment, Stichting tot Behoud van het Schoorlse en Noord-Kennemerduinengebied, Stichting NatuurAlert Nederland, en Stichting Vogelbeschermingswacht Noord-Veluwe;
  2. https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/documenten/kamerstukken/2020/11/18/uitwerking-ambities-en-doelen-landelijke-bossenstrategie-en-beleidsagenda-2030;  https://open.overheid.nl/documenten/ronl-8a755f0b45bb1343c0097f6b633788eb3825bdc7/pdf

Contact for press & media:

Frits van Beusekom, Stichting Natuurbelang Nederland | +31 317 74 14 08

Fenna Swart, voorzitter Comité Schone Lucht | +31 (0)6 415 14 330.

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