Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: protest against large-scale deforestation for industrial park

Grabow (dpa/mv) - Environmentalists demonstrated on Wednesday near Grabow (Ludwigslust-Parchim district) against the planned deforestation of up to 130 hectares of forest for a business park on the A14.

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: protest against large-scale deforestation for industrial park

Grabow (dpa/mv) - Environmentalists demonstrated on Wednesday near Grabow (Ludwigslust-Parchim district) against the planned deforestation of up to 130 hectares of forest for a business park on the A14. With posters such as "Forest instead of asphalt" or "Forest for future" they emphasized their demand to preserve the forest. The environmental organization BUND had called for the protest.

According to them, the State Forestry Agency released the first 40 hectares for clearing at the beginning of July. The BUND had lodged an objection to this. The organization points out that the area is of paramount importance for the retention and storage of water in the area and the balancing function for the local climate. In addition, the forest area borders directly on a Natura 2000 protection area. According to BUND state director Corinna Cwielag, the environmental impact assessment for the business park had identified other locations as more suitable.

In addition to the BUND, the Greens in the state parliament are also against the project. According to MP Jutta Wegner, economic interests are given priority over climate, nature and environmental protection. She recently explained that the planned compensatory plantings in various places could never compensate for the ecological services of the contiguous forest area. Wegner doubts that the "Eldetal" business park is even needed. In Schwerin, 45 kilometers away, there are still 200 hectares of open space in the publicly funded "Göhrener Tannen" industrial park.