17,000 signatures for Nationalpark Reichswald collected

Citizen's initiative - 17,000 signatures for Nationalpark Reichswald collected

For a National Park in the Lower Rhine, around 17,000 people have made themselves strongly heard with their signatures for the petition to designate a National Park in the Reichswald near Kleve. The lists with the signatures of the citizen initiative for the designation of a National Park in the Reichswald were handed over to the district administration in the morning and are now being checked for validity together with the cities and municipalities in the district, as a spokesperson for the district administration stated.

In the almost failed search for a second National Park in North Rhine-Westphalia, there is now another chance: If the sufficient number of 10,600 valid signatures is determined, the district council is expected to vote again in the fall on the project, according to the district spokesperson. If a narrow majority of district council members remain against a National Park application, voters in the 16 municipalities in the Kleve district have the final say.

Last chance for the green-hearted project

The red-green state government named six regions last year that could potentially be suitable for a National Park. However, in all regions, the political bodies rejected the idea. Above all, CDU and FDP opposed a National Park in the district councils, while Greens and SPD were mostly in favor of it.

The last remaining option for Environment Minister Oliver Krischer (Greens), who is leading the project, is now the Reichswald in the Kleve district. In April, a majority of 31 district council members voted against the application of the region, with 26 yes votes and two abstentions.

So far, there is a National Park in NRW

In a National Park, nature enjoys the greatest protection. So far, there is a National Park in North Rhine-Westphalia in the Eifel. However, to achieve biodiversity goals, NRW needs another area, argues Environment Minister Krischer. Almost every second animal, mushroom, and plant species in Nordrhein-Westfalen is on the "Red List" - that is, threatened with extinction, endangered, or already extinct.

Critics, however, fear restrictions for the local economy in the affected region. The state government emphasized that it would not force a National Park on any region.

1. The citizen initiative for designing a National Park in the Reichswald near Cleves has managed to collect over 17,000 signatures.
2. If the district council in the upcoming fall session verifies the validity of at least 10,600 of these signatures, they are expected to vote on the National Park project again.
3. The district spokesperson announced that a narrow majority against the project would lead to a voter decision in the 16 municipalities of the Kleve district.
4. Previously, the red-green state government identified six regions suitable for a National Park, but all political bodies rejected the idea, particularly in CDU and FDP-controlled district councils.
5. As the last option, Environment Minister Oliver Krischer is now focusing on the Reichswald in the Kleve district, which was previously rejected by a majority of 31 district council members in April.
6. Despite the potential economic restrictions, the state government has ensured that it will not force any region to establish a National Park against their will.

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