The Danish Society for Nature Conservation, in

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

''Danmarks Naturfredningsforening'', founded 1911, is an incorporated

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

based in

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

. It works for

environmental protection Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment by individuals, organizations and governments. Its objectives are to conserve natural resources and the existing natural environment and, where possible, to repair dam ...

and

biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...

, improved

environmental legislation Environmental law is a collective term encompassing aspects of the law that provide protection to the environment. A related but distinct set of regulatory regimes, now strongly influenced by environmental legal principles, focus on the manage ...

, consideration for the

natural environment The natural environment or natural world encompasses all life, living and non-living things occurring nature, naturally, meaning in this case not Artificiality, artificial. The term is most often applied to the Earth or some parts of Earth. Th ...

in public planning, and public access to

natural resource Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest and cultural value. O ...

s. The Society is a member of the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

. Its name has been translated into English in several different ways, including Danish Nature Preservation Foundation, Danish Society for the Conservation of Nature, and Danish Society for Nature Preservation, but 'Danish Society for Nature Conservation' is the English term which the society uses itself.Danish Society for Nature Conservation
web site, home page

History

The Society was founded on 21 April 1911 at the Palace Hotel in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

as the 'Society for Nature Conservation (''Forening for Naturfredning''). For many years, its focus was on promoting public access to

beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shel ...

es and

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

s, particularly to the

Øresund Strait Øresund or Öresund (, ; da, Øresund ; sv, Öresund ), commonly known in English as the Sound, is a strait which forms the Denmark–Sweden border, Danish–Swedish border, separating Zealand (Denmark) from Scania (Sweden). The strait has a ...

and the Jægersborg Deer Park. By 1912 it was campaigning against litter, with the slogan "Sandwich wrappers and eggshells don't look pretty in forest pools!" It also opposed

billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

s along country roads and campaigned for the maintenance of roadside trees and boulders. By 1925, the Society had over 3,000 members, and in the same year it changed its name to the Danish Society for Nature Conservation (''Danmarks Naturfredningsforening''), signifying that it had gained a nationwide status. In 1937, as the result of the intervention of the Danish Prime Minister

Thorvald Stauning Thorvald August Marinus Stauning (; 26 October 1873 in Copenhagen – 3 May 1942) was the first social democratic Prime Minister of Denmark. He served as Prime Minister from 1924 to 1926 and again from 1929 until his death in 1942. Under Stauni ...

, the Nature Conservation Act was modified to give the Society a statutory status in conservation matters. In 1987, the Society's membership peaked at 260,784. However, although competition with similar bodies has now led to a fall to some 140,000 members, it remains the largest nature conservation and environmental organisation in Denmark. The Society has more than ninety branches and employs a secretariat of some fifty people.About Us
page at dn.dk Its national offices are at Masnedøgade 20, Copenhagen.

Publications

As well as books and leaflets, the Society publishes the

quarterly A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content (media), content. They are generally financed by advertising, newsagent's shop, ...

journal A journal, from the Old French ''journal'' (meaning "daily"), may refer to: *Bullet journal, a method of personal organization *Diary, a record of what happened over the course of a day or other period *Daybook, also known as a general journal, a ...

''Natur og Miljø'' ('Nature and Environment'), with a circulation of around 160,000.Danske tidsskrifter - Danmark
at mediavejviseren.dk (page in Danish)

Chairmen

*1911-1915: Alfred Hage (1843-1922), landowner and politician *1915-1921:

Valdemar Michael Amdrup Valdemar Michael Amdrup (1 October 1860 - 11 May 1937) was a Danish lawyer and the second president of the Danish Society for Nature Conservation from 1915 to 21. Early life and education Amdrup was born on 1 October 1860, the son of banker Valdem ...

, lawyer and banker *1921-1960: Erick Struckmann (1875-1962), painter *1960-1963: Vagn Jensen, senior civil servant in the

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

Presidents

*1963-1984: Valdemar M. Mikkelsen, Professor of Botany at the

Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University ( da, Kongelige Veterinær- og Landbohøjskole, abbr. KVL) was a veterinary and agricultural science university in Denmark. It was founded in 1856 and operated until 2007, when it became a part of t ...

*1984-1996: Svend Bichel (born 1943), high school lecturer *1996-2006: Poul Henrik Harritz (born 1956), journalist *2006-2018: Ella Maria Bisschop-Larsen (born 1951), biologist *2018- :

Maria Reumert Gjerding Maria Reumert Gjerding (born 3 August 1978 in Copenhagen) is a former Danish politician and the current president of the Danish Society for Nature Conservation. She was a member of the Folketing The Folketing ( da, Folketinget, ; ), also know ...

(born 1978), environmental planner and politician

Notes

External links

Danish Society for Nature Conservation
- official web site in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

Danmarks Naturfredningsforening
- official web site in

Danmarks Naturfredningsforening
- official

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