National Parks Of Denmark And Greenland

Greenland has been part of Denmark since 1953. The national parks of Denmark and Greenland are mainly established as nature and cultural reserves, to support education and to promoting outdoor activities. The parks are run by the ministry of the environment through decentralized management committee composed of a board, a national park Council, and a Secretariat. The members of the committee must have a close connection with the national parks with which they work.

National Parks Of Denmark And Greenland

The Mols Bjerge National Park

The park was established in 2009 as the second national park in Denmark under the Executive Order 789. The park occupies an area of 69 square miles. Part of the park consists of human settlement and privately owned sections with large tracts being cultivated. The park was established to protect a large number of rare and threatened species within the park. The park occupies moraine plains in the southern part of Djursland and rolling plains of woodlands and open lands, and has a hill in the middle of the park with an elevation of 449ft. The Mols hills support a variety of habitats including heath, bogs, pasture, meadows, coastal habitats and forests. Plants in this park include beech, oak, ash, willow, black alder, wood anemone, early dog violet. Animals include the great spotted woodpecker, lapwing, ringed plover, roe deer, fox, vipers, lizards and the red kite.

Northeast Greenland National Park

The northeast Greenland national park is the largest national park and protected area in the world with an area of 375,291 square miles. The park is the oldest and only park in Greenland established in 1974. The park is located in vast areas of the Greenland Ice Sheet with some sections of pearly land, the King Frederick VIII Land and the King Christian X Land. The park is managed by the Greenland Department of Environment and Nature. Animals in the park include polar bears, walrus, musk oxen, arctic fox, stoat, arctic hare, seal, Beluga whale, great north diver, snowy owl, king eider among others. The significant threat to the park is the rapid snow melt which is likely to increase significantly the sea level.

Thy National Park

The park was established in 2007 and officially opened to the public in 2008. The park covers an area of 94 square miles. The park is characterized by sand dunes, bogs, heath and meadows on its landscape which have largely been shaped by the activities of the sea. The park is home to a broad diversity of wildlife including the roe and red deer, the golden plover and Sandpiper which are very rare birds, plants such as marram grass, conifers, common heather, lichens, black crowberry, bog bilberry, bayberry, sundew, and sand sedge. Plants in the dune areas of the park are threatened by invasion by other plants. Most of flora and fauna of this park is either rare or endangered.

The Wadden Sea National Park

The park was inaugurated in 2010 as the third national park in Denmark with an area of 566 square miles. The park was established as a site for the protection of cultural history, nature protection, to encourage outdoor activities, to enhance education, research, and international cooperation. Its terrain is comprised of the Wadden Sea and islands, Verde Ådal, and marshlands. The park is home to millions of migratory birds during the spring where they breed and feed. It is also home to sea animals such as the common seal.

Conservation In Greenland And Denmark

The role of nature conservation in Denmark and Greenland is shared by two ministries concerned with housing, nature and environment, and fisheries, hunting and agriculture. These departments work together in their different dockets to regulate the exploitation of natural resources as well as the establishment and protection of protected areas.