The municipality of Grevenmacher is fighting against its largest forest becoming a national nature reserve, with the local council voting unanimously against the Ministry of the Environment’s plan last week.

The planned “Oberdonven-Houwald” nature reserve is due to be located almost exclusively on the municipal territory of Grevenmacher. Roughly speaking, it extends between the road from Grevenmacher to Potaschberg and the country road to Oberdonven, and reaches as far as the motorway.

The Ministry of the Environment would like to place the entire forest area under national protection because of its importance as a refuge for rare animal and plant species and as an ecological corridor. The forest area is listed in the current National Nature Conservation Plan as a “protected area to be designated”.

The sloping forest area below the Trier motorway is home to, for example, the hazel grouse, the greater horseshoe bat (a rare bat species) and the large fire butterfly. In addition to mixed woodland, there are meadows for mowing and several springs and streams with small waterfalls.

‘Already well protected’

The municipality of Grevenmacher owns 440 of the 450 hectares of forest.

“The college of aldermen is clearly opposed to this project because the Maacher Bësch [Grevenmacher forest] is already well protected by national legislation and should be preserved for sustainable economic use,” said Mayor Monique Hermes in a municipal council session on 6 March.

The council voted unanimously against the project.

The municipality has commissioned a law firm to present factual and legal arguments against the designation as a national nature reserve. However, the Ministry of the Environment has the final say.

Luxembourg has committed to designating 7.5% of its territory as a nature reserve. In addition, 10,000 hectares of forest are to become a natural forest reserve.

(This story was first published in the Luxemburger Wort. Translated using AI, edited by Cordula Schnuer.)