Landowners reject land transfer for proposed Danish national park

The proposed Smålandsfarvandet National Park may struggle to secure enough land after 52 per cent of responding landowners said they did not want their property included, DR reports.

About 850 landowners responded to a survey conducted as part of the project, according to a press release from the Danish Nature Agency. While not all landowners took part, the results provide an indication of support for the proposal.

Forty per cent of respondents said they supported being included in the proposed national park. The participating landowners own property covering about 70 per cent of the coastline within the suggested park boundaries.

Largest landowners oppose proposal

The landowners who asked not to be included collectively own more than 10,000 hectares. By comparison, those who supported the proposal own slightly more than 1,000 hectares.

According to the steering group conducting the preliminary study, smaller landowners have typically supported the proposal, while the largest landowners have mostly opposed it.

Line Trap Mogensen, the Danish Nature Agency’s project manager, said it was too early to conclude whether the national park would be created.

The steering group will use the responses as it finalises its recommendations to the environment minister. It must assess both whether a national park should be established and what its boundaries should be.

The group is expected to send its recommendations to the minister in early summer 2027. Politicians will then decide whether to establish the Smålandsfarvandet National Park.

Denmark currently has five national parks. In 2024, the political parties behind the national parks legislation agreed to launch a preliminary study of Smålandsfarvandet to assess whether it was suitable for a new national park.