Greenfield sites to be replaced when lost to construction – environment minister

Undeveloped rural areas should be replaced if construction happens on them, environment minister Steffi Lemke said, calling for the quick introduction of legislation to secure and provide more natural areas, Süddeutsche Zeitung reports. Nature conservation should not be worsened by the construction of infrastructure, the Green Party minister said. “If something is built on a greenfield site – such as wind turbines or roads – the field has to be replaced somewhere else. That can be by creating a pond or reforesting an area that is fallow,” she said, adding that “lively and healthy nature needs enough space.” Thus, she would present the cornerstones for such a law by the summer, according to the newspaper.

Germany’s state environment ministers are meeting on 11 and 12 May near Bonn to discuss natural climate protection measures, such as the promotion of moors and water supply security. Only connected habitats create resilient biotopes, Lemke said. “Spaces for an intact nature must therefore be brought together and upgraded faster and more effectively. To do this, we want to strengthen and expand the networking of areas.” The government has recently approved 4 billion euros in funding to improve the state of natural ecosystems, with the goal of making them more resilient and to ensure that they can make a stronger contribution to climate protection.