An area north of the Wadden island of Schiermonnikoog may qualify for protected Natura 2000 status following a court ruling on Monday, overturning an earlier refusal by the agriculture and nature ministry.
The bed of the Borkum Reef Ground, an area of some 600 square kilometres on the border with Germany, is covered in stones deposited during the last but one ice age between 130,000 and 200,000 years ago. The reefs that formed as a result provide habitats for a variety of species, including porpoises and sea anemones.
Dutch and German environmental organisations have been lobbying in vain for the inclusion of the Borkumse Stenen in the Natura 2000 list.
In 2024, junior agriculture and nature minister Jean Rummenie rejected their request, saying the area falls short of the European requirements for Natura 2000 status and prompting the organisations to go to court.
The court said on Monday the organisations were right to claim that Rummenie had failed to demonstrate why the area does not qualify for protected status.
He had, for instance, only investigated the presence of the stone reefs instead of also taking into account the fact that reefs consisting of biological material, the judge said in his ruling.
“This is great news for the North Sea. The Borkum Reef has an important function for the surrounding area,” said Emilie Reuchlin director of the Doggerland foundation said in a reaction.
New junior agriculture and nature minister Jaime van Essen now has nine months to decide if the region will join other North Sea protected areas, including the Friese Front, the Klaverbank, and the Doggersbank.
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