Baltic Sea National Park: Date set for strategy meeting against spot closures
Tobias Frauen
· 17.04.2023
As reported, Schleswig-Holstein's Environment Minister Tobias Goldschmidt is planning to establish a Baltic Sea National Park which would jeopardise numerous spots for windsurfing, wingfoiling, SUPing and kiting. This is because large areas of a national park would be considered no-use zones in which no activity is permitted.
What exactly the national park should look like will soon be worked out in six workshops with stakeholders from tourism, sport, fishing and other areas. Björn Brüggemann, the initiator of the petition against spot closures, is organising an information event to determine the surfing community's strategy for these workshops:
- 28 April 2023, 7 pm
- W8, Werftbahnstraße 8 in Kiel
The aim is to provide information on the current status of the consultation process for the Baltic Sea National Park and to align the strategy. "Our surfing and paddling spots can only be preserved if we give them a voice. Come to Kiel on 28 April and find out more!" says Brüggemann.
More than 20,000 votes against spot closures on the Baltic Sea
His petition, which he launched shortly after the plans became known, received more than 17,000 signatures in just a few days. Björn also took part in an initial meeting between various stakeholders from the tourism, business and sports sectors and the environment minister at the end of March. Björn then reported on the current status in a video:
The most important points on the status of the Baltic Sea National Park at a glance:
- There is still no decision on the establishment, but a proposal with the affected areas is available
- Stakeholders from tourism, sport, fishing and other sectors will soon be presenting their points of view in six workshops with 50 participants each
- This is followed by an interlocking workshop with five participants from each of the six workshops, where an overall picture is drawn up and presented to politicians
- Many different interests come together, no guarantee that the interests of water sports enthusiasts will be taken into account by petition alone
- In the planned information event for surfers, wingers and kiters, a strategy is to be developed together with Björn and the initiators of the petition
These are the plans for a Baltic Sea National Park
Baltic Sea National Park: What's behind it
Tobias Goldschmidt has already presented initial plans for a "Baltic Sea National Park" in 2022. It is intended to connect the various nature and bird sanctuaries on the Baltic Sea and at the same time "deepen their protection", as the Green politician says - so that the Baltic Sea "will be better again in the future". This could entail massive restrictions for water sports, as part of a national park are so-called no-use zones in which water sports, shipping and fishing would be taboo.
In a national park, at least 50 per cent of the area would have to be left to nature - similar to the Wadden Sea National Park, which is around 300,000 hectares larger than the potential on the Baltic Sea. The ministry hopes that the new national park will provide "a real boost in attractiveness" for the Baltic Sea coast and "enormous opportunities for tourism and the economy", as Goldschmidt told the Schleswig-Holstein newspaper publisher.
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Tobias Frauen
Editor
