International congress against gas extraction in Wadden Sea

At the congress of the international organization for nature conversation IUCN in Marseille, a motion brought by the Waddenvereniging was passed. The motion calls on the Dutch government to not start new gas extraction under the Wadden Sea as it is a protected nature reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The call was supported by 23 conservation organizations from countries in Europe and Africa.

"An adopted motion becomes a resolution and is an important signal from the worldwide conservation community," reported the Waddenvereniging website. Frank Petersen of the association is therefore satisfied with the adoption of the motion. "We are very happy with this. It indicates that all over the world NGOs, knowledge institutes and even government institutions support us in the call to the cabinet to withdraw the permit for new gas extraction under the Wadden Sea World Heritage Site."

The IUCN conference began on September 3 and will continue through Friday. 86 countries and over a thousand organizations in the field of nature and environmental protection are members of the organization. One of the best known activities of the IUCN, which stands for International Union for the Conservation of Nature, is the annual publication of the Red List of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants.