North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) is set to designate approximately 5,000 hectares of wilderness areas by mid-2026, a move intended to bolster the region’s native forests and biodiversity. A joint report from the NRW Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Consumer Protection and the NRW Ministry for Agriculture and Forestry, recently presented to the parliamentary environmental committee, details the initiative.
The designated areas will be withdrawn from active forestry management, allowing for natural development processes to take precedence. Currently, NRW hosts around 100 wilderness development areas spanning approximately 7,800 hectares.
The new wilderness development areas will exclusively comprise land owned by the state. The government plans a phased expansion of the existing network of forest protection areas that facilitate natural development across various regions. Initial locations include areas within the Rhein-Sieg district and the Coesfeld and Unna districts, aimed at better connecting existing wilderness development areas and natural forest patches. A further area north of the Eifel National Park will also be included. Plans for a second national park within NRW were abandoned last year.
