A European movement is launching a citizens' initiative to recognize ecosystems as living entities with their own rights, which is intended to empower citizens to represent nature in court. (translated)

A European movement is launching a citizens' initiative to recognize ecosystems as living entities with their own rights, which is intended to empower citizens to represent nature in court. (translated)

dm Markt Deutschland fördert ehrenamtliche Projekte und ich bin mit dabei 🥹 hier kann man online abstimmen: https://t.co/bipsqotszr Ich würde mit dem Geld gern den Schutz der Igel in der Region verbessern, da die Not hier groß und die Hilfe sehr begrenzt ist. ❤️ https://t.co/05fgXJSWjb #Ehrenamt #Naturschutz #Igel
DIE WOHNUNGSNOT IN BERLIN HAT GRÜNDE - und sie heißen Ökofanatismus und Linkspartei FAZ und ZEIT berichten: Der Berliner Unternehmer Thomas Groth kaufte 2012 das Gelände eines ehemaligen Truppenübungsplatzes in Lichterfelde. Geplant war „Neulichterfelde“ mit 2.500 Wohnungen, einer Grundschule, drei Kitas und großen Grünflächen. Baubeginn sollte 2017 sein, Fertigstellung 2025. Tatsächlich war 2024 gerade einmal der Bebauungsplan fertig. Ein zentraler Grund für die Verzögerungen waren die Artenschutzvorschriften. Auf dem Gelände lebten unter anderem geschützte Zauneidechsen. Rund 1.000 Tiere mussten eingefangen und in ein eigens geschaffenes Ersatzbiotop umgesiedelt werden. Dafür wurden Zäune und spezielle Kunststoffbarrieren errichtet und neue Lebensräume angelegt. Die Maßnahmen gingen weit über das bloße Umsiedeln hinaus. Es waren Gutachten, wiederholte Fangaktionen, Ausgleichsflächen und langfristiges Monitoring erforderlich. Fachleute verschiedener Artengruppen kontrollieren regelmäßig, ob die geschützten Tiere in ihren neuen Lebensräumen zurechtkommen. Groth beziffert seine Ausgaben allein für den Artenschutz auf rund 25 Millionen Euro. Gleichzeitig vergingen Jahre, ohne dass Wohnungen gebaut wurden. Noch im Sommer 2026 wurden auf dem Gelände Eidechsen eingesammelt. Groth macht auch die Berliner Politik verantwortlich und sagt, eine frühere Stadtentwicklungssenatorin der Linkspartei habe das Projekt um fünf Jahre zurückgeworfen. Hinzu kamen später Umweltbehörden und komplexe Genehmigungsverfahren. Schließlich gab Groth auf. Er verkaufte das Gelände 2026. Noch einschneidender: Die Groth-Gruppe wird nach 44 Jahren abgewickelt. Von zeitweise etwa 170 Mitarbeitern sind laut ZEIT nur noch zwölf übrig. Groths Resümee über Berlin: Als Bauträger mache es dort keinen Spaß mehr. Die ZEIT stellt den Fall ausdrücklich in einen größeren Zusammenhang. Neulichterfelde sei kein isolierter Sonderfall: Geschützte Arten wie Feldhamster, Kreuzkröten oder Eidechsen können auch andernorts Bauprojekte erheblich verzögern. Dahinter stehen EU-Recht, deutsches Naturschutzrecht, Behördenauflagen und die Möglichkeit von Umweltverbänden, gegen Projekte vorzugehen. Berlin leidet unter massivem Wohnungsmangel – laut einer Anfang 2026 veröffentlichten Studie fehlten bereits Ende 2024 etwa 56.000 Wohnungen –, während ein Projekt für 2.500 Wohnungen nach 14 Jahren Planung noch immer nicht realisiert ist. Auf dem Gelände gibt es dafür inzwischen ein aufwendig geschaffenes Zuhause für rund 1.000 Eidechsen. @_MartinHagen @KubickiWo @Meyer_FDP #Wohnungsbau #Umweltschutz #Berlin
The US government is reportedly considering the sale of a small piece of land from Yosemite National Park to a real estate company to build a road, which is being described by environmentalists as an attack on the American people. (translated)

The Trump administration is considering the sale of a small piece of land in Yosemite National Park to a real estate developer from Nevada, which is being described by environmentalists as an attack on the American people. (translated)

The lower Lobau in Vienna is suffering greatly from drought and heat, leading to an extremely poor condition of the protected area, while nature conservationists are calling for a water supply from the Danube and the city of Vienna is waiting for the results of a groundwater flow model to assess possible measures to improve the ecological conditions. (translated)

The German Alpine Club (DAV) warns in an open letter to Chancellor Friedrich Merz about the serious impacts of the climate crisis in the Alps, such as shrinking glaciers, water shortages, and blocked paths, and calls for urgent integration as well as reliable funding for climate protection, adaptation, and nature conservation. (translated)

The Belgian authorities are investigating the suspicion that agricultural equipment may be responsible for the devastating fire in the Hohes Venn nature reserve, while the fire department continues to fight hotspots and the cause of the fire has not yet been conclusively determined. (translated)

In the Hohes Venn nature reserve, authorities have initiated investigations into the cause of the fire, as a devastating forest fire that destroyed about 3,000 hectares of land may have been triggered by agricultural machinery, while firefighters continue to combat hotspots. (translated)

The EU crisis commissioner Hadja Lahbib emphasized that forest fires are increasing across Europe and that prevention and cross-border cooperation in crisis policy are essential, following a devastating forest fire in the Hohes Venn nature reserve, which is attributed to "probably unintentional, unconscious" human behavior. (translated)

The Nature Conservation Union Germany (Nabu) criticizes the Baden-Württemberg Farmers' Association for demanding too little for climate protection, despite clear calls for financial support for farms affected by drought, and for not holding the federal government accountable. (translated)

Prince Harry has stepped down from the board of the African conservation organization African Parks after a report on human rights violations by employees of the organization became known, but he remains proud of his ten-year work and continues to be committed to conservation. (translated)

After the death of 18 elephants in the Amboseli area of Kenya, which reportedly died from cyanide poisoning, four suspects were arrested and the police are searching for another individual. (translated)

After the death of 18 elephants from poisoning in the Amboseli region of Kenya, four suspects were arrested while investigations and laboratory examinations into the causes of the poisonings continue. (translated)

Serbia has been fighting a devastating forest fire in the Banat Dune region for weeks, which has already destroyed 3,000 hectares of vegetation and has led to the evacuation of residents of the settlement Trujino Naselje. (translated)

The forest fire that has been raging since Friday in the Hohes Venn nature reserve in Belgium is, according to authorities in the province of Liège, completely under control, although firefighting flights from the air are still being conducted to stabilize the situation, particularly in the eastern part of the fire area. (translated)

In a helicopter crash in the Loisaba Conservancy in Kenya, seven people died, including the Ecuadorian intelligence chief Michele Sensi-Contugi and his wife Stephany Hollihan, while the causes of the accident are still being investigated. (translated)
In a helicopter crash in the Kenyan region of Samburu on Wednesday, the pilot and six tourists lost their lives while on their way to a nature reserve. (translated)

The massive forest fire in East Belgium, considered the largest in Belgium since 1911, is according to authorities encircled and does not spread further into Germany, while the situation in the Hohes Venn nature reserve remains complicated and support from the air is also mobilized for firefighting. (translated)
