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Hanover / Kiel (dpa) - The current legal loophole for kitesurfing in Lower Saxony's Wadden Sea National Park is to be closed for the time being with a voluntary regulation.
Lower Saxony's Environment Minister Olaf Lies (SPD) agreed on a procedure with kite surfers, water sports associations and national park representatives in a conversation on Thursday.
Accordingly, a working group with representatives from water sports and nature conservation should now discuss whether previous kitesurfing zones can be changed or expanded.
Lies will then discuss the results again in April.
"It is wiser to find a joint solution in Lower Saxony than to get a settlement from Berlin that both sides are not satisfied with at the end of the day," said Lies after the conversation.
After a decision of the Higher Administrative Court (OVG) Lüneburg, the previous state regulation, which allowed kitesurfing only in certain zones of the protected national park, is invalid.
According to this, only a federal regulation is possible, but this is still pending.
Lies therefore initially favors a voluntary regulation that could then be the basis for a federal regulation.
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In Schleswig-Holstein, the state, municipalities, nature conservationists, tourism experts and water sports enthusiasts already negotiated a similar compromise in 2017.
There 22 areas in the Wadden Sea were found where kitesurfing is supposed to be allowed.
The regulations there are still voluntary, but they are intended to serve as the basis for the amended federal traffic regulations.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210304-99-691996 / 2
OVG press release
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National park announcement from 15.12.
to the OVG decision
Read about kitesurfing on Facebook
Driving Ordinance (NPNordSBefV)
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Traffic regulations in certain nature reserves in the Baltic Sea area in SH
Small request from the FDP parliamentary group and response from the federal government on the subject
Land SH for kitesurfing on the North and Baltic Seas