21 green organizations demand nature and biodiversity law

11. March 2026

Nature should have a law that - like the Climate Act - sets targets for how large a proportion of Denmark's land and sea area should be protected and strictly protected nature, says a joint appeal from 21 green organizations.

We are in a global biodiversity crisis, where we are losing species at a rate never seen before in human history. Over 1.900 species are threatened and at risk of disappearing from Denmark, and despite decades of efforts, the trend has not yet been reversed.

The main reason for the poor state of nature on land is that nature lacks space, because we use too much of the land area for intensive agriculture, forestry and other human activities. In the sea, nature is threatened by, among other things, bottom-dragged fishing, nutrient discharge and many other activities that destroy marine ecosystems. There is a consensus among biodiversity researchers that the solution is to allocate space for nature, where it is effectively protected and managed.

The current government promised a nature and biodiversity law in its government charter. A law that, like the Climate Act, would set targets for how large a proportion of Denmark's land and sea area should be protected and strictly protected nature. But this law has unfortunately not been passed.

Therefore, 21 green organizations have now joined forces in a joint appeal to politicians that a biodiversity law remains a crucially important task for a future government:

Give Nature the Law – A Biodiversity Act. We want a biodiversity act that will stop the loss of species, ensure better protection of nature and give wild nature more space.

We therefore have three important demands for the Biodiversity Act:

The law must ensure 30% protected nature on land and at sea. Protected nature must be natural areas where nature is effectively protected from threats to biodiversity. In protected nature, for example, there cannot be intensive agriculture, forestry and fishing with bottom trawls.

The law must ensure 10% strictly protected nature on land and at sea. This means that one third of the protected nature must be strictly protected. Strictly protected nature must be large, continuous natural areas where wild nature is restored. Here, nature has priority over other interests, but with new opportunities for fantastic nature experiences.
The Biodiversity Council must be guaranteed by law. The Council's tasks must be to continuously assess the government's efforts and goal achievement.

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