Luxembourg

International Day for Biodiversity 2010 in Luxembourg: A biodiversity picnic

As for the past three years the Ministry for sustainable development and Infrastructure has invited all national stakeholders from the national, regional, and local level including governmental and nongovernmental organisations to a biodiversity picnic. This year’s event took place at the visitor centre of the Administration for nature and forests “Um Burfelt”, located on the shores of the lake of the Haute-Sûre, a Natura 2000 site as well a transboundary Ramsar site.

Guided tours were offered by participants who chose to reach the centre either on foot or with a solar powered boat. Long distance travelling was assured by the national railroad company CFL, an official partner of the Ministry within the framework of the international year of biodiversity. For the occasion a locomotive, carrying the logo of the international year of biodiversity as used for a national art contest on biodiversity for children an youth, was chartered.

The delegate Minister Marco Schank underlined the importance of the international year of biodiversity in its contribution to better understanding of the importance of biodiversity for people’s quality of life and stressed the crucial role of local authorities in nature conservation. M. Schank further thanked all organisations present for their continuous and relentless efforts to conserve the national biological heritage of Luxembourg.