Court stops controversial construction project in the Berchtesgaden National Park

Court stops controversial construction project in the Berchtesgaden National Park

Ramsau, Deutschland - The Administrative Court of Munich has granted the urban application of the BUND Nature Conservation (BN) and thus restored the suspensive effect of the lawsuit against a controversial construction project in the Berchtesgaden National Park. This means that the planned laying of water and power lines to the KühroinTalm must not be implemented for the time being, such as rosenheim24 reported.

The planned infrastructure project includes a 7-kilometer line, which runs through the national park as well as a bird sanctuary and a Natura 2000 area. The municipality of Ramsau had applied for approvals for the laying of drinking water, wastewater, electricity, telecommunications and broadband lines from the district office Berchtesgadener Land. However, the nature conservation associations decidedly reject the planning because they fear a significant impairment of the affected bird species in the protected area.

Problem of interventions in the National Park

The court clarified at an oral hearing that interventions in the national park are generally banned. The chamber recommended that they are on a route that runs exclusively along the existing forest road. The BN had submitted the lawsuit to stop the project and emphasized that the relocation of the infrastructure lines in the old hiking trail (hiking trail 442) could not be tolerated.

The mayor of the municipality of Ramsau said that the German Alpine Association (DAV) had dispensed with the further laying of the infrastructure management to the Watzmannhaus and instead an isolation solution for the supply of the Watzmannhaus has been aimed for. This could reduce the intervention in the natural area, but remains a controversial solution among nature conservation associations.

National Park Berchtesgaden - a protected habitat

The Berchtesgaden National Park, founded in 1978, is the only high mountain national park in Germany and extends over an area of ​​21,511 hectares in southeastern Bavaria on the border with Austria. It is located in the northern limestone Alps and has a high alpine biodiversity. The habitat types include leaf and coniferous forests, mountain pine bushes and moor landscapes. The protection time extends from December to July to protect sensitive bird species. Among other things, Birk and Alpenschnehühner can be found there, which according to Federal Office for Nature Conservation

In addition, the planned conversion of the Kührointhaus into a multifunctional training and conference center of nature conservation associations is viewed critically. The chairman of the BN, Richard Mergner, and other environmentalists demand a thorough examination of the alternatives and see no predominant public interest in the expansion, since existing tourist infrastructures may only be changed from the aspect of existing protection. The current plans of the Federal Police Training Center met with resistance among conservationists, since up to 2500 participants are planned for courses every year, which could further boost the already high vehicle traffic in the region.

Overall, it remains to be seen how the desired projects in the Berchtesgaden National Park continue, since the protection of these unique natural landscapes is of great importance for German nature conservation. Critics call for a comprehensive consideration of the nature conservation framework and the protection of the biological diversity in this valuable habitat.