Timeline of history of environmentalism

The article identifies individual stations of the development of nature conservation and landscape management, with technical concepts, but also structures such as nature conservation or management associations are considered. The data refer mainly to Germany, besides also to Austria, Switzerland and neighboring countries. In the case of the national park movement, which have their origins in the U.S., the international importance of nature conservation is also named as the international conventions that won about by the Euro Europe or UNESCO in 1960 important.

Precursor

The conservation and protection of plants and animals, certain habitat types or elements of the landscape, for its own sake has little meaning before 1800. Only where aspects of the use play a role, formal protection provisions should be adopted, such as the hunt for some wildlife species, if they belong to the high and low game, or falconry raptors. The protection of forests from overexploitation was the occasion for appropriate initiatives for the government.

First Reserves

About 30 years after the claims Bechsteins for animal and species protection in 1802 and the neologism natural monument by Humboldt in 1799, the first concrete steps for the protection of nature are made ​​in Germany. In Saxony trees are placed under protection, the Drachenfels near King Winter will be the first nature reserve on German soil. In addition to individuals who are committed to animal welfare and conservation, to include citizens together with associations to represent the concerns of nature.

Also in Austria, Switzerland and other European countries, there are efforts to deportations of protected areas, which reflect either the use of individuals or, increasingly, on ideas of nature conservation associations.

In the middle of the 19th century are also the roots of the natural park idea, which was developed in the United States. The planning and designation of nature reserves and national parks is still very important for nature conservation and landscape protection.

The term conservation was used in the 19th century, first in other contexts. He called the military term protection against enemies. But defense mechanisms of animals were also referred to in science as a conservation and criminological sources summarized the natural protection of people from suicide than on nature conservation. In 1871 we find the first recorded use of the term " conservation " in its present meaning by Philipp Leopold Martin in his series of essays " The German Reich and the international animal protection"

First laws, nature parks overseas

With the Prussian forest protection law nature and its protection is not only the first time enshrined in law, but receives a consideration, at least in one part of the state administration, which they had hitherto received no or only rudimentary. At the same time, groups in society in the context of nature conservation active and thus form the counterpart to the administration. Already 1861, founded the Black Forest club, 1869, the German Alpine Club, join both in 1883 with other hiking clubs in the Association of German Mountain and hiking clubs together, with the aim of " the German mountain world historically, scientifically and to tap into local descriptions ".

First nature parks are shown in New Zealand and the USA. These were not like this about was the strict protection of nature in the sense as it is understood today, but the retention of original landscapes, and the objective of emerging at this time hiking clubs.

State conservation agencies and private associations

In order to implement the conservation laws gradually adopted state agencies were required, which were set up in various German states as well as in other European countries over time. If they were also frequently occupied by personnel who had other tasks in addition to the natural protection, they have been steadily improving and are partially forerunner of today's authorities, such as the 1906 furnished in Gdansk State Office for Nature Conservation, 1936 to the Reich Agency for Nature Conservation and 1952 to the Federal Institute was for nature conservation and landscape management. In 1993, the Federal Agency became the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN ).

From natural monument for park maintenance - Time of nature reserves

At the turn of the 19th to the 20th century came more and more to the demand not to limit nature on smaller areas or. Only to the protection of individual species groups to devote about the birds, but to look at landscapes holistically and to protect Given these considerations, numerous nature reserves, have been developed for the concepts that were ultimately forerunner of the modern landscape maintenance emerged internationally. In many cases, the efforts to designate nature reserves of clubs were promoted and supported, which formed at this time and of which consist successor organizations today.

1933-1945

Regarding Germany see also → Conservation in National Socialism

The Nazis continued after 1933 also the nature of their ideological goals. This requires, inter alia, the nature conservation associations have been brought into line and linked the idea with the racist nature home concept and the blood - and-soil ideology. Nature conservation, landscape management and planning finally got assigned in Eastern Europe as part of the General Plan East duties in connection with the conquest and colonization of areas outside the German Reich.

New start with old staff

In Western countries, the German nature conservation authorities worked largely by temporary " leave of absence " of individual activists such as Hans Schwenkel with the staff from the time of National Socialism on. Partly were during the Nazi era with the "special tasks " in the east entrusted persons, such as Heinrich Wiepking or Konrad Meyer, appointed to chairs of the universities where they should train the future nature and conservationists.

In the GDR changed the political inclusion and objectives of nature conservation. The most influential designers such as Georg Pniower or Reinhold Lingner were politically unencumbered and the SED loyal. Neither an aesthetic exaggeration nor an emphasis on popular and racial aspect played in building a socialist country with which a just society should be connected to a role. At the practical work of landscape planning, however, this changed little. The tasks remained the same. Mission continued to be the intensification of land use. Personnel was paid to professionals from the time of National Socialism, even to members of the Nazi Party, resorted; often came from this environment Alwin Seifert.

Biological stations and reorganization of conservation management

In the Federal Republic of Germany, as in other European countries, the conservation management will be restructured and adapted to the needs of the types, nature and landscape protection. In many cases, specialized agencies set up, due to which the expert administrations prepare their laws and regulations. Another feature of this period is the establishment of biological stations, develop the scientific foundations of conservation.

International Nature Conservation

From the realization that nature and its protection does not stop at state borders, came from about 1960 international organizations in action, to formulate international protection goals. Noteworthy are research programs such as the UNESCO program Man and the Biosphere as well as numerous international conservation agreements.

Protection of species and habitat mapping

From the realization that for the protection of species and their habitats, their occurrence must be known and named, programs were set up to collect the same. After initial surveys on a larger scale fine mapping was performed, in which the distribution of species are often recorded on grid maps representing the habitats on land card sharp. Since the turn of the century, and these data are digitized and areas under the use of geographical information systems and made available on the Internet to the public.

In most German states is planned to adapt to the changing constitutional and federal statutory framework, the conservation law in the year 2010. For the transitional period the country are worked out as an aid to interpretation ministerial decrees application and enforcement notices from the top conservation agencies.