Environmentalists are calling for a stop of oil production in the sensitive Wadden Sea

The alarming sirens howl! With draconian determination, German Environmental Aid (DUH) has lodged an objection to oil production on the mysterious bore island of Mittelplate in the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage Sea! Here, where the sea harbors enchanting habitats, an obvious grievance is denounced: the deeply worrying environmental impacts have not even been checked! Hands high for nature that suffers in one of the most sensitive ecosystems in Europe.

The DUH loudly demands that this dangerous oil production will be stopped immediately! Nobody had ever bothered to carry out an FFH compatibility test. This is despite the fact that the Wadden Sea has been a FFH area since 1998 and has been under the protection of European regulations for endangered bird species since 2001. This sloppiness enabled companies to penetrate a holy nature without proper exams!

political failure and the seriousness of the situation

It was only in May 2024 that a new main operating plan for oil production was issued, which the DUH gave the legal lever to fight this injustice. "The oil production in the middle of the Wadden Sea National Park has been a massive intervention in one of the most important nature reserves in Europe for decades," complains Sascha Müller-Kraenner, the federal manager of the DUH. "It is unsustainable that the effects on the protected species and habitats have not yet been examined."

Time runs against the conservationists! With a successful lawsuit, the DUH could not only stop the operation on the Bohrinsel Mittelplate, but also bring about a massive turning point for the environmental policy of Germany. "The risks of biodiversity and the ecosystem are catastrophic," warns Constantin Zerger, who is committed to energy and climate protection at DUH. "We ask the state government to finally end this dirty fossil project from the 1980s!"

a ray of hope in the dark hour

Despite the enormous challenges, the DUH has set bright spots in the past. In 2022, the organization achieved a remarkable victory against the lignite mining in Jänschwalde. Now the DUH gets up again, determined to enforce the legal protection requirements for the Wadden Sea and to preserve nature from further exploitation. The Schleswig-Holstein state government only in May under the pressure of the environmentalist and the UNESCO committee and rejected the expansion of oil production. The last step? A final end of dirty oil production!

For the DUH it is clear: This challenge is not just a legal adventure. It is a bitter struggle for the future of a unique nature that deserves all our protection.