laws and policies
1992
Nature Protection Act
The Nature Conservation Act of 1917 and now the Nature Protection Act of 1992 formalises the right of public access to all Danish beaches from the low water line to where land vegetation is continuous.
The first nature conservation act of 1917 made it already possible to conserve valuable areas in the coastal zone and gave the public access to the beaches. In 1937 this was widened to a general public access to all beaches outside the urban areas, and a general 100-m broad protection zone was introduced where all construction of buildings was forbidden. A dune-protection zone further protected the West Coast of Jutland as a follow-up on the sand-erosion abatement act from 1792. Large parts of the coastal areas are however damaged caused by insufficient management and regulation over the last twohundred years.
The building protection zone and the dune protection zone in the Nature Protection Act are widened to 300 m along the coastline in the rural areas by the Coastal Act , whereas it is maintained at 100 m in urban and summer cottages areas. Changes of the existing state within the zone is prohibited when it comes to buildings, planting, fencing etc. Besides of this, semi-natural land areas larger than 2,500 m2 are protected by the Nature Protected Act from 1992.
Further reading
Danish Nature Council
Danish Environmental Protection Agency
Danish Ministry of Environment