In its crusade to shield a forest nestled along the A14 in Grabow, Ludwigslust-Parchim district, environmental advocacy group BUND refuses to back down. According to a spokesperson in Schwerin, BUND and the Schutzgemeinschaft Deutscher Wald (German Forest Protection Association) have recently lodged an appeal with the administrative court, aiming to halt the permit approving the forest's clearance for an industrial park construction.
Initially, the forestry office sanctioned the deforestation of nearly 40 hectares. BUND's objections to this were dismissed in November by the state forestry office, sparking a lawsuit. The proposed park development demands the felling of 130 hectares of trees, preceding the erection of the business park close to the highway.
Confirmation of the lawsuit's filing has been reported by the court, which generally imposes a suspensory effect on such cases. As a consequence, the timeline for the deforestation initiation has been temporarily halted. Further developments in the case, such as the examination of the files, statement of grounds, and responses, are set to be reviewed by the court in the summer.
The town of Grabow had initially envisioned the business park's construction in two stages. Prior to this, the site had been an uninterrupted forest region. The state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern reportedly offered substantial financial aid for the project, to the tune of 38 million euros, as claimed by BUND.
BUND contends that alternative locales along the A14 could accommodate the industrial development without requiring the forest's clearance. BUND's state chief, Corinna Cwielag, emphasized that other areas had emerged as more suitable options during the environmental impact assessment. However, these were discarded, as per BUND's stance. This, they claim, renders the forest clearance permission as unjustifiable, breaching the provisions of the State Forest Act. Cwielag pointed out that the replacement planting of trees on 28 smaller sections could not offset the climate advantages presented by the continuous forest region.
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Incorporating the enrichment data, BUND's position against forest clearance may face a setback due to the expired date of the information in my database. For accurate and up-to-date insights about the case's status, it is recommended to explore recent environmental news sources or contact BUND or the Schutzgemeinschaft Deutscher Wald directly.
