Denmark - Overview

Status and trends of biodiversity, including benefits from biodiversity and ecosystem services

Denmark is home to about 30,000 species of plant, fungus and animal. In terms of natural ecosystems, Danish woods are both deciduous and coniferous with a high proportion devoted to plantation or production forest. The forest ecosystem is considered the most diverse national ecosystem and presents considerable species richness... More »

Main pressures on and drivers of change to biodiversity (direct and indirect)

Over the last century, extensive drainage and intensification of forestry for timber production has led to a significant net decrease in open forest glades, forest wetlands and structures related to old growth forests. Based on expert judgment, it is likely that the rare specialist species are declining due to a delayed negative response (extinction debt) to ongoing loss of habitats for these species, and due to a general scarcity of old growth habitats in the forests and plantations of the present day... More »

Implementation of the NBSAP

Denmark adopted its Action Plan for Biodiversity and Nature Conservation in 2004 (with the Strategy having been adopted considerably earlier in 1996). Denmark hopes to finalize "Nature Plan Denmark" in 2013 which will serve as Denmark’s revised and updated NBSAP, in accordance with Aichi Biodiversity Target 17). The Plan will identify and concretize Danish implementation of the 2020 EU Biodiversity Strategy and the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, including the Aichi Biodiversity Targets... More »

Actions taken to achieve the 2020 Aichi Biodiversity Targets

To date, Denmark has protected more than 11% of its total land area, one third of which is classified as IUCN Categories I and II. The Natura 2000 network comprises in total 16,638 km2: 3,591 km2 are terrestrial (8.4% of land base) and 13,047 km2 are marine (12.3% of marine area). There are currently 13 national species management plans for species of plants and animals, supplemented by a number of in-situ and ex-situ programs on a national level to support plant and animal genetic resource conservation... More »

Support mechanisms for national implementation (legislation, funding, capacity-building, coordination, mainstreaming, etc.)

In addition to the Action Plan for Biodiversity and Nature Conservation, Denmark benefits from a large legislative framework for biodiversity protection. It includes the Agreement on Green Growth, which is a long-term plan defining environment and nature policies and the agriculture industry’s growth conditions and was signed by all major political parties in Denmark; the Environment and Nature Plan, which sets a range of goals to improve environmental conditions and strengthen protection measures (e.g... More »

Mechanisms for monitoring and reviewing implementation

Denmark suffers from a lack of long-term monitoring of species biodiversity and research (notably in the forest ecosystem). In Greenland, an ongoing project “Nordic Nature – trends towards 2010” led by the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE) aims to identify trends and status of biological diversity in the Nordic countries... More »